PM for review of Indus water usage by India

In yet another signal that it can no longer be business as usual with Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday directed his government to step up exploitation of India’s share of water in the Indus Water Treaty, and called off India’s participation in meetings of Indus water commissioners.

“Blood and water cannot flow together,” Modi said at a meeting he chaired on the sharing of the waters of river Indus in response to the 18 September Uri terrorist attack.

If India carries out the threat to use water from the Indus, it will reduce water flow to Pakistan and potentially squeeze its agriculture as the country does not possess water storage facilities and is hence dependent on the river flow.

Also read: Indus Water Treaty: Five key facts

Additionally, it was decided that the meetings of Indus water commissioners, meant to iron out disputes, will now be held “only in an atmosphere free of terror”.

The sharing of water from the Indus is governed by the Indus Water Treaty. Signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, it lays down the framework for sharing the waters from the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.

It specifies that waters from the three western rivers—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab—are reserved for Pakistan, while those from the three eastern rivers—Ravi, Sutlej and Beas—are for India.

The three western rivers are estimated to carry 123 million acre feet (MAF) of water while the three eastern rivers carry 233 MAF of water.

India will draw up plans to exploit its share fully—20% of the waters of the west flowing rivers. Modi announced the constitution of an inter-ministerial task force that will draw up plans for “maximizing the benefits of the western rivers for the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir”, a person familiar with the developments said.

For example, India could use waters of the three rivers to irrigate 912,000 acres which can be increased by 420,000 acres, the person said. At present India irrigates only 800,000 acres.

The Indus Water Treaty also permits India store up to 3.6 MAF of water; however it has not done so. “We (the interministerial committee) will be looking at that,” the person added.

India will also be looking at exploiting the hydroelectric power potential of the three eastern rivers, estimated to be 18,600MW, of which only 11,406MW was either being used or are part of plans for usage.

Besides this, plans to construct three dams on the river Chenab will be speeded up, said the person cited above.

New Delhi would also review a 1987 decision to stop the construction of the Tulbul barrage on the Jhelum. The decision was taken after Pakistan objected that the plan violated the Indus Water Treaty. India says the barrage will make the river navigable in the summer, something Pakistan contests.

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Lastly, the Indus water commissioners appointed by India and Pakistan, who meet on an average twice a year, will now meet “only in an atmosphere free of terror”, the person said.

The aim of the meetings of the commissioners is to iron out any differences that crop up between the two countries. Any dispute that is not sorted by the commissioners is then taken to an international court for arbitration.

Monday’s meeting was attended by national security adviser Ajit Doval, foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, the water resources secretary and senior PMO officials.

The Indus Water Treaty is considered to be one of the most successful bilateral water sharing pacts, particularly so because it is between Indian and Pakistan, which means it has survived multiple conflicts, including three wars, between the two countries.

In the wake of the recent Uri attacks, however, India suggested that it may take a relook at the treaty. “Eventually, any cooperative arrangement requires goodwill and mutual trust on both sides,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup told reporters in New Delhi on 22 September.

Four militants on 18 September stormed an Indian Army battalion headquarters in northern Jammu and Kashmir, close to Line of Control, killing 18 soldiers.

Former external affairs minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader Yashwant Sinha too said that India should abrogate the treaty.

“It is well known that India is a soft state and unfortunately for us, Pakistan knows it as well. It knows that India will hum and haw, will indulge in rhetoric, will discuss all options but will never act. Let us surprise it for once,” he wrote in a column on NDTV.

Meanwhile, the Congress party on Monday demanded a special sitting of Parliament to discuss the present security situation and to get Pakistan declared a terrorist state. “Extreme situations demand extreme decisions. We believe by now Pakistan should already have been declared a terrorist state. We demand that a special 1-2 day session of Parliament be called to discuss the security situation and more particularly to declare Pakistan a terrorist state... We demand near absolute economic sanctions against Pakistan,” Abhishek Manu Singhvi, party spokesperson told reporters on Monday.

The Congress’s demand comes two days after Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar sent a bill to the chairman of the upper House to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. He requested that the bill titled “Declaration of States as Sponsor of Terrorism Bill, 2016” be taken up in the winter session of Parliament later this year.