All gates of the Baglihar Hydroelectric power project Dam built on the Chenab river in Ramban have been closed, officials said on Tuesday.
Earlier on May 8, two gates of the Baglihar dam were opened. Water was released from the dam due to heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir, which could cause flooding.
India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. India took a slew of measures, including the decision concerning Indus Waters Treaty, to send a strong message to Pakistan for its support to cross-border terrorism following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. The basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan with a small share for China and Afghanistan.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of three rivers, namely Ravi,Sutlej and Beas ( Eastern Rivers) averaging around 33 million acre feet ( MAF) were allocated to India for exclusive use.
The waters of Western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab averaging to around 135 MAF were allocated to Pakistan except for specified domestic , non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty.
India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river(RoR) projects on the Western Rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation is unrestricted.
To utilize the waters of the Eastern rivers which have been allocated to India for exclusive use, India has constructed Bhakra Dam on Satluj, Pong and Pandoh Dam on Beas and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on Ravi. These storage works, together with other works like Beas-Sutlej Link, Madhopur-Beas Link, Indira Gandhi Nahar Project etc has helped India utilize most of the waters of waters of Eastern rivers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this month made a veiled reference to the Indus Waters Treaty and noted that India’s rightful share of water was flowing beyond its borders.
“India’s water will remain within the nation, serving its rightful purpose for the country’s development,” he said.
PM Modi also referred to the Indus Waters Treaty in his adress to the nation yesterday on Operation Sindoor in which Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Armed Forces also repelled the subsequent Pakistan aggression.
Prime Minister said that the way the Pakistani army, Pakistan government are encouraging terrorism, it will destroy Pakistan one day.
“If Pakistan wants to survive, it will have to destroy its terror infrastructure. There is no other way to peace. India’s stand is very clear… Terror and talks cannot go together… Terror and trade cannot go together…. Water and blood cannot flow together,” PM Modi said.
“Our greatest strength is our unity against all forms of terrorism. This is certainly not the era of war but this is also not the era of terrorism. Zero tolerance against terrorism is the guarantee for a better world,” he added. (ANI)
