ISLAMABAD: In a significant move that has escalated tensions between the two countries, India has virtually stopped discharging water from the Chenab River into Pakistan, violating the Indus Waters Treaty. A senior official confirmed on Monday that water flows in the river, recorded at Marala headworks, dropped drastically from 35,000 cusecs to just 3,100 cusecs, without prior notice.
India has been using Pakistan’s share of water to fill up its reservoirs, including three major hydropower projects in the Chenab basin. These include the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Dam, the 900 MW Baglihar Dam, and the 690 MW Salal Dam. Together, these dams hold over 1.2 million acre-feet of water, and the official warned that if India continues to withhold water, Pakistan could be left without vital irrigation supplies for up to five more days.
Should India suddenly release the water, the result could be disastrous, creating flood-like conditions downstream, posing a significant risk to the local population.
The Chenab River is crucial for Pakistan’s irrigation system, supporting vital canals that irrigate large agricultural areas in Punjab. On Monday, Wapda’s daily water report confirmed that the river’s inflows at Marala were only 5,300 cusecs, with zero outflows recorded, compared to a balanced flow of 34,600 cusecs on Sunday.
In a separate development, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) expressed concerns over the potential impact of reduced Chenab flows on Pakistan’s Kharif crops, already facing a 21% shortfall. The Irsa committee warned that the drop in water supply could further exacerbate these shortages in the early Kharif season, and may extend to 7% in the late season.
The situation is compounded by ongoing work in Indian-held Kashmir, where India has started boosting the reservoir capacity of its hydropower projects, including sediment removal at the Baglihar and Salal Dams. This work has reportedly not been communicated to Pakistan, raising further concerns about the long-term stability of water supplies.
As tensions over water resources continue to rise, Pakistan is facing an urgent challenge to manage its agricultural needs while dealing with water shortages and the unpredictable actions of its neighbor.
