It’s time to recast the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan

The Pulwama attack has brought into focus ways and means to dissuade Pakistan from continuing with the policy of a ‘thousand cuts’ against India. The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is one such area that needs reviewing.

The IWT was drawn in 1960 in Karachi between Pakistan and the then Indian Prime Minister with the World Bank as the third party. By giving Pakistan, through this treaty, more than its due share of waters of the six rivers, India hoped to secure lasting peace with its neighbour. In line with this approach, India gave Pakistan more than 80% of the waters of six rivers, including the Indus and five rivers of Punjab, keeping just over 19% for itself. Pakistan also got waters of four Indian nullahs that join the Ravi.

This was so even though India is the upper riparian state to all six rivers and thus has first right over their waters. In this treaty, India got waters of three eastern rivers, the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, while Pakistan that of three western rivers, the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. Even if one was to overlook the rights of India, being the upper riparian country, on the basis of the Indus river basin, the division should have been 65% of water to Pakistan and 35% to India. Be that as it may.

Since some of the canals originated from head-works in India and watered fields in Pakistan, water in these continued to flow for the next 10 years by which time Pakistan was expected to create a new set of canals. Besides, India provided funds to Pakistan for these new canals. Apparently all this was a win-win case for Pakistan.

RUN OF THE RIVER DAMS

To take further and somewhat undue advantage, Pakistan was able to insert the devil in the detail of the treaty, which it figured would work in its favour. Though the treaty allocates waters of three western rivers to irrigate 1.3 million acres of Indian land (in Jammu and Kashmir) but action to implement this has come under objection by Pakistan. Thus, vast tracts of virgin land in various valleys in Ladakh region could not be irrigated.

The clause in the treaty concerning dams on the three western rivers (in J&K) could only be of run of the river configuration, which Pakistan figured would work in its favour. Actually, this clause has come to play a negative role for that country. This restriction on the type of dams was perhaps due to the fear of India flooding Pakistan at some point in the event of a conflict. Further, even in the construction of run of the river dams, such as Sallal, Uri, Dul Hasti, Baglihar and Neelam river, Pakistan along with World Bank has been creating impediments resulting in inordinate delays in the completing of these. In the case of the Sallal dam on the Chenab, which was originally built as a storage dam, had to be converted to run of the river configuration on Pakistan’s and World Bank’s insistence.

These run of the river dams have worked to the disadvantage of both countries, more so in the case of Pakistan.

For India, hydel power projects based on run of the river dams cannot fully exploit the flow of water because during the rainy season, the flow of water is more but much less in the dry season, resulting in less number of turbines operating during the dry period.

So in economic terms such dams are not cost-effective. Moreover, there is the problem of silting.

WHY WATER STRESSED?

For Pakistan the disadvantages accruing from these dams is far greater. This is so because that country just cannot store excess water of these rivers during the rainy season and consequently it just flows into the Arabian Sea. As a result of these unutilised waters flowing into the sea, availability of water during the dry season is inadequate and Pakistan is water stressed. In addition to this, fertile soil and nutrients which waters from storage dams carry downstream are arrested in the run of the river dams.

On its part, India (Punjab) has tried to meet the shortage of canal water for irrigation by recklessly sanctioning tubewells and providing free electricity to these, which has resulted in depletion of groundwater and its level going down to dangerous. India also failed to fully use the waters of the three rivers, more so of the Ravi, due to unacceptable delay in constructing the Shahpur Kandi barrage on this river and preventing leakage due to poor maintenance of sluice gates at head works on its rivers.

In Ladakh and at some locations in Himachal Pradesh, where the water current in rivers/tributaries is fast, it is possible to make channels and lower turbines into these waters (similar to Persian wheels working in reverse order and with suitably designed blades) to generate electricity. By such improvisations, electricity on small scale can be produced for local use at a large number of remote places. A system to lift and lower turbines can be worked out depending on changes in the water level in these rivers or tributaries.

STORAGE DAMS WILL HELP

However, if this clause pertaining to hydel projects is changed from run of the river to storage dams, it will be of advantage to Pakistan in three ways. Firstly, wasteful flow of water into the sea during the rainy season will be reduced. Secondly, further flow of water will be regulated throughout the year for irrigation and thirdly abundant electricity generated from hydel projects in J&K based on storage dams for hydel projects can be made available to Pakistan at concessional rates.

Even with storage dams, a certain amount of water during the rainy season will flow into the sea, because Pakistan will not be able to use all of the waters of the three western rivers. Therefore, it should accept some of the waters of the Chenab (Chandra Bhaga – as it is known in the Rohtang Pass area) to be diverted into the Beas and in lieu some water from the Ravi made available to Pakistan to irrigate fields in the Kartarpur Sahib and Lahore region.

Similarly, the height of the dam on the Neelam river, where its waters have been diverted to Wullar Lake, can be suitably adjusted so that downstream fields, earlier watered by it, continue to receive the required quantity of water.

It is time for the two countries to get real and tread the path of free trade, friendship, and prosperity. India desires nothing more than a peaceful and friendly Pakistan. All this will eventually work to Pakistan’s advantage. It is an appropriate time and occasion to put Pakistan on notice that in the event of it continuing with exporting terrorists to J&K, India will annul the Indus Water Treaty.

IT IS AN APPROPRIATE OCCASION TO PUT PAKISTAN ON NOTICE THAT IN THE EVENT OF IT CONTINUING WITH EXPORTING TERRORISTS TO J&K, INDIA WILL ANNUL THE INDUS WATER TREATY