Centre to hold meeting on Indus Water treaty implementation

New Delhi

In response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, allegedly backed by Pakistan, India has decided to suspend the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT). This decision has triggered immediate action, with a critical meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil scheduled for today at 4 PM to evaluate the feasibility of this move.

The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, allocated the rights to the Indus basin’s rivers, with Pakistan controlling the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) and India using the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej). Suspending the flow of water from the western rivers could drastically impact Pakistan’s agriculture, which relies on these rivers for over 80% of its irrigation needs. However, executing such a move is complex.

According to the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the western rivers carry 117 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water annually, enough to submerge the Kashmir Valley by seven meters. Storing this water would require 30 large reservoirs each year and massive infrastructure development in ecologically sensitive regions. Rerouting even a single river would require constructing an artificial river over hundreds of kilometers, at enormous financial and environmental costs.

While the full impact on Pakistan would take decades, India could face serious ecological consequences. Today’s meeting will explore the legal, engineering, and environmental challenges and consider alternatives like increasing India’s water usage under the Treaty.