Kishanganga Dam during the construction phase along the Kishanganga river

India is increasing pressure on Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. After suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, New Delhi has started cutting off water flow from rivers to Pakistan. Here’s what is happening

India is mounting pressure on Pakistan as it mourns the loss of 26 lives, mostly tourists, in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. After putting the Indus Waters Treaty in “abeyance”, New Delhi has started curbing water flow from rivers in India to the neighbouring country.

Reports say India has cut off the flow of water from Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and plans further restrictions at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River. This comes after Union Water Resources Minister CR Patil vowed that “not a drop of water will go to Pakistan” in the wake of the Pahalgam massacre.

India Stems Water Flow From Baglihar Dam

India has halted water flow to Pakistan through the Baglihar dam on the Chenab River. The dam, located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, has previously led to disputes between New Delhi and Islamabad, with Pakistan seeking the World Bank’s arbitration.

According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, India commenced de-silting at the Baglihar dam and lowered sluice gates. This shrunk the downstream flow to Pakistan by up to 90 per cent, an official from the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) told the newspaper on Sunday (May 4).

“We have closed the gates of the Baglihar hydel power project. We had done de-silting of the reservoir and it has to be refilled. The process was started on Saturday,” a second official was quoted as saying.

India began increasing the reservoir holding capacity at the Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric projects in J&K last week. Multiple sources told the Reuters news agency that the ‘reservoir flushing’ process to remove sediment began on Thursday by the state-run NHPC Ltd and authorities in the Union Territory.

Reservoir flushing entails removing deposited sediments in a reservoir by releasing the water at a high flow rate. This is done to restore the storage capacity of the dam.

“This is the first time such an exercise has taken place and will help in more efficient power generation and prevent damage to turbines,” one of the sources said to the news agency.

“We were also asked to open the adjustable gates for cleaning, which we did from May 1,” the source said, adding that it is being done to free the dam operation from any restrictions.

As per an NDTV report, halting the water flow from the Baglihar dam is a temporary move as it can store only a limited volume of water after which it must be released.

These steps come after India suspended the decades-old water-sharing agreement with Pakistan.

As per the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India controls the eastern rivers of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas, while Pakistan controls the western rivers — Jhelum, Chenab, and Indus. The deal was brokered by the World Bank between New Delhi and Islamabad on September 19, 1960.

Pakistan is heavily dependent on the treaty that ensures 80 per cent of the water supply for irrigation in the country.

Is Kishanganga Dam Next?

India could begin de-silting operations at the Kishanganga Dam to further curb water flow to Pakistan.

The mega hydropower project, situated in the Gurez valley in the north-western Himalayas, is also likely to undergo maintenance work “very soon”. All water from the dam downstream will be stopped, reported HT.

Islamabad has objected to the hydroelectric power plant on the Kishanganga River, a tributary of the Jhelum, which is known as the Neelum in Pakistan.

Kishanganga Power Project

A private vehicle crosses a bridge as excavators are used at the dam site of Kishanganga power project in Gurez, 160 km (99 miles) north of Srinagar June 21, 2012. File Photo/Reuters

The dam allows India to divert the water from the Neelam river into J&K for power generation.

Islamabad has protested against the project, arguing that it violates the Indus Waters Treaty that allows India to build “run-of-the-river” hydel projects that neither change the course of the river nor deplete the water level downstream. Pakistan says the project flouts both of these conditions, as per a Dawn report.

India could approach the World Bank looking into a dispute related to the water-sharing treaty. As per an Economic Times (ET) report, New Delhi is expected to ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert to suspend the proceedings on the Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute under the IWT.

Citing “changed circumstances” after the Pahalgam terror attack, India is likely to push for putting the proceedings in abeyance. The process included a mutually agreed ‘work programme’ between India, Pakistan and the World Bank’s neutral expert Michel Lino, which can be paused.

The neutral expert-led dispute resolution process for the Kishanganga-Ratle projects began in 2023 and has seen three high-level meetings in Vienna.

India has made regular progress on the four ongoing hydel power projects – Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kwar (540 MW), and Ratle (850 MW – over the Chenab River and its tributaries in Jammu and Kashmir, the first NHPC official told HT.

Pakistan has opposed the Ratle project in J&K’s Kishtwar district, alleging it violates the Indus Waters Treaty. Last June, the neutral expert Lino and a five-member Pakistan delegation inspected the Ratle power project.

FP (With Inputs By IDN)