Indus Waters Treaty: India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, killed 26 people, including tourists. The action is one of five significant punitive measures that New Delhi has implemented against Islamabad following the terror strikes.

Impact on Pakistan:

The major river, the Indus, along with its five left-bank tributaries, the Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab, make up the Indus system. The right-bank tributary, Kabul, does not pass through India.

The Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus are known as Western Rivers, while the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej are called Eastern Rivers. Both India and Pakistan rely on these waterways. Pradeep Kumar Saxena, who served as India’s Indus Water Commissioner for over six years, said, “India, as an upper riparian country, has multiple options. If the Government decides, this could be the first step towards abrogating the Treaty.”

Concluding it he said, “Although there is no explicit provision in the Treaty for its abrogation, Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on Law of the Treaties provides sufficient room under which the treaty can be repudiated in view of the fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred with regard to those existing at the time of conclusion of the Treaty.”

Steps India Can Take:

Last year, India sent a formal notice to Pakistan for the review and modification of the treaty. According to Saxena, India has “no obligation” to follow the limitations on “reservoir flushing” for the Kishanganga reservoir and other projects on the Western rivers in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a media statement, he explained, “The Indus Water Treaty currently prohibits flushing. Flushing helps India desilt its reservoir, but refilling the entire reservoir could take days. Under the treaty, reservoir filling after flushing must occur in August, during the peak monsoon period. However, with the pact in abeyance, India can refill the reservoir at any time.”

However, conducting the exercise in Pakistan may be “detrimental,” especially as the sowing season begins, since a large portion of Punjab relies on irrigation from the Indus and its tributaries. The treaty states that constructing dams and other infrastructure on the Indus and its tributaries must follow design constraints. Pakistan had objected to the designs, but moving forward, it will not need to consider these concerns.

Also Read: How a Hindu Brahmin Escaped by Reciting the Kalima

Developments After Pulwama Attack(2019):

The government approved eight additional hydropower projects in Ladakh following the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The new developments may no longer face objections. Additionally, authorities have placed operational constraints on how to fill and operate the reservoirs.

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