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The Wire
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Indus Treaty: Can India Stop All the Water?
Environment Biksham Gujja Jun 05 2025 Not unless it builds large dams spending billions of dollars; till then, the threat to do so could end up helping Pakistan and hurting India. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state, ambassador Parvathaneni Harish told a UN meeting on 'Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives' on May 23, days after the Narendra Modi government announced that the Indus Water Treaty was being held in abeyance in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Harish, India's permanent representative to the UN, made the point that Pakistan had violated the treaty's Preamble, which speaks of 'a spirit of goodwill and friendship'. More than 20,000 civilians had died over the years because of terrorism, he told the UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting organised by the permanent mission of Slovenia, voicing India's frustration. Pakistan had obstructed every move of India to repair and replace infrastructure that is old and is preventing 'full utilisation of legitimate rights by India', the ambassador said, and added that terrorists had even attacked the Tulbul navigation project, endangering the safety of the project and the lives of civilians. At the same forum, Pakistan's representative Saima Saleem alleged that India is 'impeding the flow of rivers that serve as a lifeline for the 240 million people of Pakistan. Water is life and not a weapon of war'. On May 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had iterated at a public meeting in Rajasthan that ' Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights '. Before that, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar had said the 'Indus Waters Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism'. The decision to hold the treaty in abeyance was taken right after the April 22 terrorist attack in which 26 people were killed. The water resources minister said steps would be taken to 'ensure that not even a drop of water from the Indus river goes to Pakistan'. India is also preparing a 'comprehensive plan to control and halt the flow of the western rivers', the chairman of the Central Water Commission, Kushvinder Vohra, was quoted as saying. The abeyance of the Indus Water Treaty is already an international issue and Pakistan is likely to use it to the fullest extent for its propaganda and to deflect from any discussion on terrorism. This article examines the practicality of India's stated intention of stopping water from the Indus basin. Transboundary rivers At least 286 rivers basins in the world are shared by more than one country, and more than 150 countries have shared river basins. It is estimated that shared or transboundary river basins make up about 42% of the land area globally and 54% of the total global river discharge. More than 3 billion people live within the catchments of these basins. Most of the 286 shared river basins are governed by some agreements, treaties and conventions to share water, maintain water quality and share the benefits such as hydroelectricity production. Most are also at the centre of conflicts or disagreements. India shares river basins with more than half a dozen countries. About a dozen rivers are shared with countries both upstream and downstream of India. Also read: The Indus and Ganges-Brahmaputra Basins Are Drying Up Faster Than We'd Like Indus Water Treaty The Indus Water Treaty is somewhat different among the river basin agreements for two reasons. The treaty comes out of a bitter and unresolved territorial conflict that dates back to the Partition of India in 1947, and, as a result of this, it is not a typical water sharing agreement but a division of the rivers. Under the treaty, three western rivers – Jhelum, Chenab and Indus – have been allocated to Pakistan. India is allowed only the 'non-consumptive use' of the water from these western rivers flowing through its territory. This includes domestic use, navigation, flood control and hydroelectricity generation, so long as the water is returned to the river system with minimal loss through seepage or evaporation. India is not allowed to construct any dams to store water from the western rivers or disturb their flow. The eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – have been allocated to India, which has total control over their flow until they enter Pakistan. India can use every drop of water from these three rivers within its territory and is not required to leave any water downstream for Pakistan. In other words, India would not be in violation of the treaty if it were to block the entire flow of the eastern rivers into Pakistan. Indus basin The Indus basin is an area of 1.14 million sq km spread across four countries – Pakistan, India, China and Afghanistan. The population is estimated to be around 320 million in 2025, and is projected to touch 380 million by 2050. Of the 320 million, about 110 million (35%) live in India, and 195 million (61%) in Pakistan. The remaining 4% of the population is in Afghanistan. The population in China is negligible. Close to 80% of Pakistan's total population and 8% of India's population lives within the Indus basin. The total average annual surface water availability of the basin is about 239 billion cubic metres (BCM). Of this, the estimated average flow from the eastern rivers is 73.3 BCM, over which India has total rights under the treaty. Not all of this water can be utilised for various natural reasons, leaving about 46 BCM that is utilisable. India uses as much of the water as it needs to and has the capacity to store 16.3 BCM. Water that is left over, flows into Pakistan. While it is legal for India to stop the flow of this water into Pakistan, it does not have the storage capacity to be able to do so. The average water available from the western rivers is 165 BCM. Under the treaty, Pakistan has complete rights over all this water and India is not allowed to divert or store it. Is it possible to stop the water from the western rivers? The Government of India report on Indus, which is publicly available, states that 'the average water resource potential of the Indus basin is 73 BCM (billion cubic metres). According to the assessment, the total utilisable surface water resource in the basin is 46 BCM' and the current 'live storage capacity of the completed projects is 16.3 BCM'. These figures mentioned are with reference to the water from the eastern rivers, which are allocated to India. In order to store all the utilisable water, India would need storage capacity for about 30 BCM more. Of the 16.3 BCM existing storage capacity, the Bhakra Nangal dam accounts for about 9.8 BCM. In other words, India would need to build at least three dams as big as Bhakra Nangal if it wants to store all the water. The estimated cost to build one dam of that size now would be at least $5 billion. In order to stop the western rivers, India would need to build storage capacity to hold about 40 BCM. This is the quantity of water which flows from Indian territory to Pakistan from these western rivers. Given the terrain through which the western rivers flow and other factors, such as availability of land, the cost of building a dam to store their water would be several times higher. To store all the water from the western rivers in India, assuming this is even possible given the nature of terrain, it could go up to $100 billion. So, this would be the cost of stopping every 'drop of water flowing into Pakistan from the Indus Live system' as articulated by the water resources minister. Implications India, during its recent military action, announced that the Pakistani military establishment had not been targeted during the air strikes. This means India is clear that its actions are aimed only at terrorists and their infrastructure, not the Pakistani people. But as a first response, even before the military action, India announced its decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, which will impact 90% of the people in the country. Such a threat had been issued from the very highest level about a decade ago, in 2016, too, but nothing actually happened on the ground then and even after. The Indian government might have issued the threats with the domestic audience in mind, but these are helping the Pakistan government to muster its own domestic support. Millions of Pakistanis might actually believe that India has already stopped the water, just as many Indians are believing that Pakistan has been punished by stopping the water. The delegations India has been sending 'for diplomatic outreach on India-Pakistan conflict' to talk to key partners and to the UN might have a tough time explaining the decision to hold the treaty in abeyance. Pakistan is likely to use all possible forums to divert the focus from terrorism to water sharing. This would also put the World Bank in a difficult situation as and when Pakistan approaches them formally with a complaint. The World Bank president, in an interview, said that an expert committee or court of arbitration has to be set up when a country complains about any violation of the treaty's provisions. The original treaty set up a trust fund to pay for the process of scrutiny by independent experts and the court of arbitration. Pakistan is waiting for the right time to complain. Conclusion The strategy to stop the flow of Indus water might actually end up damaging India's interests in several ways: Pakistan knows that India cannot stop the water until it builds several dams, but it will use the threat to galvanise its population to rally behind its own actions, including support to terrorism. Any future drought or floods in that country might be blamed on India, with the Pakistan government spreading propaganda that India stopped the water or released it at the wrong time. Most important, internationally, India will be seen as a country acting without responsibility because a threat to stop water from an international river basin is a very sensitive issue. Within the country, the government could lose credibility if Indians realise that Pakistan is getting the water as before. India is also a downstream country, and could face issues in the future if it abandons the Indus treaty. Therefore, India would do better to use tools other than the Indus waters to force Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism. Empty threats of blocking Pakistan's water might end up actually helping the Pakistan government in its domestic propaganda and its international campaign against India, diverting the focus away from terrorism. Dr. Biksham Gujja is global water policy expert. Former head of water programme and policy at WWF International, Switzerland also worked with ICRISAT and UN agencies. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
India defends suspension of Indus Water Treaty at UN; cites Pak hostility, 'outdated' clauses
NEW DELHI: India has rebutted Pakistan's claims at the United Nations regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), accusing Islamabad of repeatedly violating the spirit of the agreement through decades of hostility, including wars and state-sponsored terrorism. India also cited that the decades-old water-sharing pact is misaligned with present-day realities, including the urgent need for clean energy, the impacts of climate change, and shifting demographic pressures. Speaking at a UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting on 'Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives,' India's Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, said, "We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state." Harish said that the 1960 treaty, which was entered into in good faith, had been undermined by Pakistan's consistent aggression. "Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India," he said, referencing the recent April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that left 26 civilians dead.
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Business Standard
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pak violated IWT spirit by inflicting 3 wars, terror attacks: India to UN
India ripped through Pakistan's disinformation at the UN on the Indus Waters Treaty, asserting that Islamabad violated its spirit by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India that seek to hold hostage lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity. We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state, India's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on Friday. Harish was addressing the UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting organised by the Permanent Mission of Slovenia on Protecting Water in Armed Conflict Protecting Civilian Lives.' Harish highlighted four aspects to expose the disinformation by Pakistan, which spoke about India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. In the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India had decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 would be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Harish told the UN meeting that India had entered into the Indus Waters Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. Noting that the Preamble of the Treaty describes that it was concluded in a spirit of good will and friendship', Harish said throughout these six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India. The Indian envoy underlined that in the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was the dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Even as India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity throughout this period, Harish said Pakistan's state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity. Harish pointed out that India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss the modifications of the Treaty on several occasions in the past two years but Islamabad continues to reject these. Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of legitimate rights by India, he said. Further, Harish said that in the past 65 years, far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change and demographic change. Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure the safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns, he said adding that Pakistan has continued to consistently block any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which is permissible under the Treaty. He noted that in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu and Kashmir. These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians. It is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. Earlier in the day, Harish delivered a strong response to Pakistan at a UNSC open debate on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', calling out Pakistan's grossly hypocritical behaviour and asserting that a nation that makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians has no credentials to speak about protecting civilians. After Pakistan's Ambassador at the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raked the Kashmir issue and spoke about the recent conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries, Harish slammed Pakistan's baseless allegations and said India experienced decades of Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks across its borders. This has ranged from the horrific 26/11 attack on the city of Mumbai to the barbaric mass murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025. The victims of Pakistani terrorism have been predominantly civilians since its objective has been to attack our prosperity, progress and morale. For such a nation to even participate in a discussion on the protection of civilians is an affront to the international community, Harish said. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. India launched Operation Sindoor' under which it carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. Harish told the UN Security Council that Pakistan has repeatedly used civilian cover to advance the cause of terrorism.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Until it irrevocably ends support to cross-border terrorism': At UN, India iterates suspension of Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan
Over a week after Pakistan signalled its willingness to discuss New Delhi's concerns about the Indus Water Treaty, India, at the United Nations, reiterated its stance at suspending the treaty with the neighbouring country, saying it was constrained to respond to the disinformation carried out by the delegation of the neighbouring country. Referring to Pakistan as a global epicenter of terror, India said the treaty will remain in abeyance until the neighbouring country 'credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism.' Speaking at the Arria Formula meeting on Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives, the Permanent Representative of India at the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said, 'India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper-riparian state. I would like to highlight four aspects to expose the disinformation of Pakistan.' Describing the aspects, Harish said: 'First, India entered into the Indus Water Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. The preamble of the treaty describes that the treaty was concluded in a spirit of goodwill and friendship. Throughout these six and a half decades, Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India. In the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was a dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam last month. India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity throughout this period. Pakistan's state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony, and economic prosperity.' India also highlighted Pakistan's consistent blockage of changes to the infrastructure and modifications of its provisions permissible under the treaty in the past years. Harish said, 'Second, in these 65 years, far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks, but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change and demographic change. Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns. However, Pakistan has continued to block consistently any changes to this infrastructure and any modifications of the provisions which is permissible under the treaty. In fact, in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul navigation project in Jammu and Kashmir. These cynical acts continue to endanger safety of our projects and lives of civilians.' Third, Harish stated, 'India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss the modifications of the treaty on several occasions in the past two years. However, Pakistan continues to reject these and Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilization of the legitimate rights by India.' Earlier, in January 2023 and again in September 2024, India had sent notices to the neighbouring country requesting a 'review and modification' of the IWT, however, Pakistan had not expressed its explicit willingness. It is only after India placed the treaty in abeyance with immediate effect after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, that Pakistan seems to have signalled its willingness. India asserted that the abeyance will continue to stay in place until Pakistan irrevocably ends its support to cross-border terrorism. 'Four, it is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicenter of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Water Treaty. Thank you, Mr. President,' he concluded. India's firm stance comes after Pakistan's Water Resources Secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza, recently responded to India's formal intimation of the Union Cabinet's decision to keep the treaty in abeyance, and offered to, on behalf of his government, discuss the specific terms India objects to. The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan. It has 12 Articles and eight Annexures (from A to H). As per its provisions, all the water of the 'Eastern Rivers' — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — shall be available for the 'unrestricted use' of India; Pakistan, meanwhile, shall receive water from the 'Western Rivers' — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pak has violated spirit of Indus Water Treaty by inflicting three wars, thousands of terror attacks: India tells UN
India ripped through Pakistan's 'disinformation' at the UN on the Indus Waters Treaty, asserting that Islamabad violated its spirit by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India that seek to hold hostage lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity. 'We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,' India's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish said on Friday. Harish was addressing the UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting organised by the Permanent Mission of Slovenia on 'Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives.' Harish highlighted four aspects to expose the 'disinformation' by Pakistan, which spoke about India's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. In the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India had decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 would be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. Harish told the UN meeting that India had entered into the Indus Waters Treaty 65 years ago in good faith. Noting that the Preamble of the Treaty describes that it was concluded 'in a spirit of good will and friendship', Harish said throughout these six and a half decades, 'Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India.' The Indian envoy underlined that in the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was the dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam. Even as India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity throughout this period, Harish said Pakistan's 'state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity.' Harish pointed out that India has formally asked Pakistan to discuss the modifications of the Treaty on several occasions in the past two years but Islamabad continues to reject these. 'Pakistan's obstructionist approach continues to prevent the exercise of full utilisation of legitimate rights by India,' he said. Further, Harish said that in the past 65 years, far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change and demographic change. 'Technology for dam infrastructure has transformed to ensure the safety and efficiency of operations and water use. Some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns,' he said adding that Pakistan has continued to 'consistently block' any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which is permissible under the Treaty. He noted that in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu and Kashmir. 'These cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians. 'It is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.' Earlier in the day, Harish delivered a strong response to Pakistan at a UNSC open debate on 'Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict', calling out Pakistan's 'grossly hypocritical' behaviour and asserting that a nation that makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians has no credentials to speak about protecting civilians. After Pakistan's Ambassador at the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raked the Kashmir issue and spoke about the recent conflict between the two nuclear-armed countries, Harish slammed Pakistan's baseless allegations and said India experienced decades of Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks across its borders. 'This has ranged from the horrific 26/11 attack on the city of Mumbai to the barbaric mass murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025. The victims of Pakistani terrorism have been predominantly civilians since its objective has been to attack our prosperity, progress and morale. For such a nation to even participate in a discussion on the protection of civilians is an affront to the international community,' Harish said. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. India launched 'Operation Sindoor' under which it carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7, following which Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10. Harish told the UN Security Council that Pakistan has repeatedly used civilian cover to advance the cause of terrorism.
