- Nodal Ministry- Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) & Ministry of Jal Shakti
Current Context
- Abeyance Status- Following a major cross-border terror attack in Pahalgam, India formally placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance.
- India's Stance- Cooperation on water sharing cannot continue in an environment where cross-border terrorism is deployed as an instrument of state policy ("blood and water cannot flow together").
- Re-negotiation Mandate- New Delhi has signaled that the IWT in its present 1960 form is no longer operational or viable. Re-activation requires fundamental renegotiation that reflects contemporary hydrological, technological, and demographic realities.
Historical Allocation vs. Modern Hydrological Realities
A. Core Treaty Architecture (1960 Division)
- Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej)- Allocated to India for unrestricted use.
- Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab)- Allocated to Pakistan, with India permitted non-consumptive usage (run-of-the-river hydropower, limited agricultural storage, and navigation).
B. the 1960 Design is Obsolete
- Demographic Stress- India’s population and agricultural/industrial water demands across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and J&K have escalated drastically compared to the late 1950s.
- Climate Change & Shifting Basins- Glacier retreat and irregular monsoon discharge have reduced baseline water availability in the Eastern Rivers, forcing India to optimize every drop of available surface runoff.
- Outdated Engineering Rules- The 1960 treaty rules froze dam design and sediment-flushing standards under 1950s technology, preventing India from deploying modern spillway configurations, drawdown flushing, and adaptive reservoir management.
Pakistan’s Water Crisis vs. Structural Mismanagement-
- Obstructionist Dispute Strategy- Pakistan transformed the treaty’s three-tiered dispute resolution system (Permanent Indus Commission Court of Arbitration) into an instrument for stalling virtually every Indian hydropower project, irrespective of design compliance.
- Domestic Mismanagement- Official data (including Pakistan's National Water Policy) reveals its water stress stems primarily from internal factors rather than Indian diversion-
- Over 35 million acre-feet (MAF) of water drains unused into the Arabian Sea annually due to lack of storage infrastructure.
- Nearly 30–40% of canal water is lost during conveyance via chronic seepage, unlined canals, and poor irrigation efficiency.
- Over 100 MAF is diverted through outdated canal systems, yielding low crop output per unit of water.
Strategic Infrastructure Acceleration by India
- With the treaty in abeyance, India is expediting its hydropower and storage footprint along the Chenab and Ravi basins to curb avoidable water wastage-
- Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project (1,856 MW)
- Pakal Dul Hydroelectric Project (1,000 MW)
- Ratle Hydroelectric Project (850 MW)
- Kiru Hydroelectric Project (624 MW)
- Kwar Hydroelectric Project (540 MW)
1.Ujh Multipurpose Project (Ravi Basin)- Designed on a tributary of the Ravi River to store water currently flowing unutilized across the International Border, redirecting it for irrigation, drinking water, and grid power across J&K and neighboring states.
Reservoir Siltation & Reservoir Flushing Operations
- The Salal Case Study- Under previous rigid treaty interpretations, low-level flushing outlets were constrained due to Pakistani objections. Consequently, the Salal Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab saw its gross storage capacity (284 million cubic metres) heavily silted up within years of commissioning, stripping away its storage and peak-power efficiency.
- Modern Maintenance Paradigm- India is now implementing systematic sediment flushing and low-level outlet operations at dams like Salal and Baglihar. These operations rely on standard international dam safety engineering practices to clear reservoir beds and restore operational life.
