Infra constraints limit India's capacity to stop river water to Pakistan, but it can control resources

A view of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project built on the Chenab River as India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam Terrorist Attack. (Pic credit: ANI)
NEW DELHI: It may not be immediately possible for India to stop the flow of river water to Pakistan due to infrastructural constraints on the ground, but the neighbouring country will feel the pinch during winter when it would be possible for New Delhi to regulate water flow of the western rivers - Indus, Jhelum and Chenab - through its existing upstream infrastructure.
Observers say that the current phase (April-September) is a period of 'high flow' due to the melting snow in the Himalayas and it, in fact, makes it a necessity for India to let water flow to Pakistan as it does not have adequate storage capacity.
'India doesn't have the infrastructure to divert the water from the western rivers because it was not allowed under the
Indus Water Treaty
(IWT),' Anjal Prakash, expert on Hindu Kush-Himalayas water system and research director of the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB), told
TOI
.
During the 'low flow' season of winter, New Delhi may somehow regulate the river water flow and its timing using infrastructure of Baglihar and
Kishanganga dam
. Though these dams are not designed to hold back water, the flow timing can be regulated, impacting Pakistan's winter crop sowing cycle, mainly wheat, somewhat and that too during the Oct-March period.
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In order to punish Pakistan more effectively, India will have to increase its water storage capacity and speed up works on under construction hydropower projects. But it will take time to have such infrastructure on the ground.
'To utilise the water, India must fast-track hydroelectric and irrigation projects on the western rivers, while enhancing storage and diversion infrastructure on the eastern rivers. Projects like Shahpur Kandi, Ujh, and Ratle can be prioritised. Rapid construction, political will, and inter-agency coordination are crucial,' said Prakash.
Noting that India's decision to keep the Treaty in abeyance opens the door for strategic control over its river resources, he said, 'Within two years, with streamlined approvals and emergency execution powers, India can significantly reduce water flow to Pakistan and redirect it to its own states, bolstering water security and asserting its strategic and hydrological sovereignty.'

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