Indus Waters Treaty 1960 : Present Status of Development in India - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Indus Waters Treaty 1960 : Present Status of Development in India.

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 thewaters 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.

PRESENT STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

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 nearly entire share (95 %) of waters of Eastern rivers.However, about 2 MAF of water annually from Ravi is reported to be still flowing unutilized to Pakistan below Madhopur. To stop the flow of these waters that belong to India for its utilization in India, following steps have been taken:

1. Resumption of Construction of Shahpurkandi project: This project will help in utilizing the waters coming out from powerhouse of Thein dam to irrigate 37000 hectares of land in J&K and Punjab and generate 206 MW of power. The project was scheduled to be completed by September 2016. However, following a dispute between the state of J&K and Punjab, the work on the project had been suspended since 30.08.2014. Consequent upon agreement reached on 8 September 2018 between J&K and Punjab . The cost of the project is . 2715.70 Crore. Government of India vide order dated 19 December 2018 has approved the Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore towards balance cost of works of irrigated component of the project. The construction work has now resumed by Govt of Punjab under monitoring of Govt of India.

2. Construction of Ujh multipurpose project: This project will create a storage of about 781 million cu m of water on river Ujh , a tributary of Ravi for irrigation and power generation in India itselfand provide a total irrigation benefits of 31,380 ha in Kathua, Hiranagar and Samba district of J&K apart from providing water for the district Kathua of J&K. The DPR of the project has beentechnically approved for the total estimated cost of Rs.5850 crore (July, 2017) . This project is a National Project and the Central Assistance of Rs. 4892.47 crore on works portion of irrigation component as well as the special grant is under consideration. The implementation of the project will be 6 years from beginning of the implementation.

3. The 2nd Ravi Beas link below Ujh:This project is being planned to tap excess water flowing down to Pakistan through river Ravi, even after construction of Thein Dam, by constructing a barrage across river Ravi for diverting water through a tunnel link to Beas basin. The project is expected to utilize about 0.58 MAF of surplus waters below Ujhdam by diverting the same to Beas basin for benefits of other co-basin states. Govt. of India declared this project as National Project .

The above three projects will help India to utilize its entire share of waters given under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960.

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Indus Waters Treaty 1960 : Present Status of Development in India

India stands by Indus Treaty commitment, rejects Pakistan reports - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India stands by Indus Treaty commitment, rejects Pakistan reports

India on Saturday (October 20) rejected reports in Pakistani media that New Delhi has refused "permission" to Pakistan from inspecting water projects being built on the River Chenab.

In the last meeting of Indus Waters Commission held in August, 2018 in Lahore, an understanding was reached on schedule of tours on both the sides.
However, the said tours had to be rescheduled after the declaration of elections of local bodies and panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources told India Today that the Indian side iterated its position that the agreed tours will be held after the completion of these elections.
Meanwhile, sources in Pakistan told India Today that Pakistan commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Mehr Ali Shah had telephoned his Indian counterpart PK Saxena on this account. Shah reminded him of talks held in Lahore two months ago where both sides had spoken about Pakistani experts inspecting the projects.
Shah had written to his Indian counterpart in this regard too. In the letter, he emphasised Pakistan's right to inspect water projects being built on the river in accordance with the Indus Waters Treaty. Commissioner Saxena had responded to the letter writing to Shah emphasising on India's commitment to the Treaty.
Pakistani team was expected to visit India this month to inspect the water projects. India postponed the planned visit on account of local body and panchayat elections being held in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Visit of the Pakistani delegation would require security which cannot be spared till the election process is complete.
The panchayat elections would be held in nine phases on November 17, 20, 24, 27, 29 and December 01, 04, 08 and 11.(Source:defencenews.in)

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India stands by Indus Treaty commitment, rejects Pakistan reports

India moves to use Indus water against Pak terror - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India moves to use Indus water against Pak terror.

HIGHLIGHTS
• 1960 Indus Water Treaty allows India to construct storage capacities on the western rivers up to 3.6 million acre feet
• Decision to maximise water use was taken after four Pakistan-backed militants attacked the Indian Army base at Uri in Sep 2016
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated two hydroelectric projects in Jammu & Kashmir, indicating his government's political will to respond to Pakistan's use of terrorism against India with every option at its command, including using in full India's share of water from western tributaries of the Indus, as possible leverage points.

The inauguration of the 330-MW Kishanganga hydel station in Bandipore and laying of the foundation of the 1,000-MW Pakul Dul project in Kishtwar express the government's intent to follow through PM's decision to review water use within the ambit of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.
The decision to maximise water use was taken after four Pakistan-backed militants attacked the Indian Army base at Uri in Jammu, killing 18 soldiers on September 18, 2016. "Blood and water cannot flow together", Modi had told a meeting of government officials on the Indus treaty 11 days later. The message to Pakistan was clear: stop backing terror attacks on India or lose the liberal water flow in excess of the treaty's provisions at present.
Soon after that decision, three hydel projects on Chenab and its tributary - Sawalkote (1,856 MW), Pakal Dul (1,000 MW) and Bursar (800 MW) - were fast-tracked. Building infrastructure on Indus, Chenab, Jhelum and their tributaries is part of the Modi government's plan to utilise India's share of water from western tributaries of the Indus.
Speeding up pending hydel projects is a key component of what India can do to use as much of Indus water as it can under the water treaty, which allows New Delhi to construct storage capacities on the western rivers up to 3.6 million acre feet (MAF) for various purpose, including domestic use.
Pakistan's water supply is dwindling because of climate change, outdated farming techniques and an exploding population. A 2011 report by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said India could use these projects as a way to control Pakistan's supplies from the Indus, seen as its jugular vein. "The cumulative effect of these projects could give India the ability to store enough water to limit the supply to Pakistan at crucial moments in the growing season," the report said.
Most of the projects proposed on the Indus and its tributaries had been held up for at least a decade awaiting clearances. Sawalkote, which was cleared by a government-constituted environment committee in January 2017, was first given techno-economic approval in 1991. Pakal Dul was stuck in litigation, which has now been resolved. (Source: The Times of India)


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India moves to use Indus water against Pak terror.