Discuss the Indus water treaty and its after math Point of view for contemplation - 0 level students

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Indus water Treaty (IWT) and its Aftermath
Asma Akbar Ali
Educationist
January 2020
What is the Indus water treaty?
Indus water treaty is an agreement between Pakistan and India for the distribution
and peaceful utilization of the water from river Indus that is flowing into both the
countries and is the major source to both.
When was it signed?
It was signed on 19th September 1960 in Karachi between Pakistan’s president Field
Marshall Mr Ayub Khan and India‘s Prime Minister Mr Jawahar Lal Nehru, it was
witnessed by Mr. Eugene R. Black who was the then president of the World Bank.
The river Indus
The river Indus that is locally called “Sindhu” starts its journey from the Tibetan
plateau of China at approximately 18,000 feet or 5,500 metres. It flows through the
Himalayas, Kashmir Himachal Pradesh and Punjab before converging into Pakistan.
The river continues its journey through Pakistan and ends it by falling into the
Arabian sea.
The Indus is estimated to have an annual flow of 243 Km which is twice that of river
Nile and three times that of Tigris and Euphrates rivers together which makes it to be
one of the largest in the world in terms of annual flow.
The Indus has five major tributaries namely, the Chenab, Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas,
and the Sutlej that in actuality benefit the two countries together because these fall on
the eastern part of Pakistan where the India is located
What is the Treaty?
It is a water distribution agreement of 25 pages and 8-annexures that explains the
technical and legal conditions of the distribution. The Indus and its tributaries are
categorized into two parts, the Eastern Rivers and the Western Rivers.
The “Eastern Rivers” included Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, whereas the “Western Rivers”
included the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

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It was decided that all the waters of the Eastern Rivers shall be available unrestricted
for the use of India and that Pakistan shall allow the flow freely and not make any
interference with these waters where these rivers flow in Pakistan. And that all the
waters are flowing inside of Pakistan by its natural course such that the eastern rivers
that come inside Pakistan shall be available for the unrestricted use of Pakistan.
Whereas that all the waters of the Western rivers shall be available unrestricted for
the use of Pakistan and that India shall allow the flow freely and not make any
interference with these waters. That meant that Pakistan will have the unrestricted
use of all waters originating from source following inside Pakistan except for the
eastern rivers i.e the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi.
This way, 80% of water from the six-river Indus water
system is allocated to Pakistan
Modalities for Implementation
1. Pakistan will make its canal system during
uninterrupted period of ten years in which India will allow the waters of eastern
rivers to flow through the rivers.
2. That Pakistan can construct Dams or Head-works on river Indus, Jhelum and
Sutlej, according to its requirement.
3. If India requires constructing dams on river Chenab in order to meet its electricity
requirement, it will be run-of-river arrangement and that no reservoir will be
constructed.
4. Both countries will record withdrawal at the heads and release from reservoirs and
this data will be exchanged every month.
5. A permanent Indus Commission is constituted to ensure smooth implementation
and management of the treaty
The MissingLink- Even though the Indus originates from Tibet, China, China is not
part of the agreement
The Aftermath
1. In 1970, India initiated the Baglihar Dam Hydroelectric power project; it is a run-
of-the-river power project on the Chenab River in the Ramban district of the
disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.

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2. In1984, India started to build the Tulbul barrage on Jhelum. Pakistan objected to it
and India has stopped the project. The Tulbul Project was a "navigation lock-cum-
control structure" at the mouth of Wular Lake. According to the original Indian
plan, the barrage was expected to be of 439 feet (134 m) long and 40 feet (12 m)
wide, and would have a maximum storage capacity of 300,000 acre⋅ft (370×106 m3)
of water. This dispute is still not resolved.
3. In 2007, India inaugurated the Kishanganga dam and HEP to be completed by 2017.
The Kishanganga is a tributary of river Jhelum known as Neelum in Pakistan. The
Kishanganga River flows through the regions of Neelum in AJK and Astore before
entering disputed region of Gurez. The dam is expected to give India control over the
river that flows from Pakistan into disputed Kashmir and then re-enters Pakistan.
Kishanganga HEP will transfer the water from the Gurez Valley into mainland
Kashmir and stop the natural course of flow coming back to Pakistan.
 PakistanPosition on Kishanganga dam and HEP project
The Treaty states that “India has control over the three eastern rivers which are
Beas Ravi and Sutlej and that India if required can use the waters of the western
rivers in “non-consumptive” ways. The dispute here is India’s interpretation of
building the “run-of-the-river” projects. India says that the HEP it is building do not
change the course of the river and do not deplete the water level downstream. But
Pakistan does not agree and argues that the Kishanganga project is and will change
the water course and deplete the downstream of water coming into Pakistan
 Steps Pakistan has takento stop the Kishanganga Dam
When India Started the project in 2007, Pakistan raised concern and in 2010
referred to the permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, which stayed the
project for three years.
But in 2013, the court ruled that the Kishanganga was “a run-of-the-river plant
within the meaning of the Indus Waters Treaty and that India may accordingly
divert water from Kishanganga (Neelum) for power generation but ensure that the
water flow is maintained. India declared that it will reduce the height of the dam.
To which Pakistan raised doubts and said that it has evidence of violation to the
verdict.
In 2016, Pakistan asked the World Bank to appoint a court of arbitration to review
the designs of Kishanganga and another project on the Chenab, called Ratle. India
rejected the suggestion saying that Pakistan’s objections were technical in nature
and that the matter should be decided by a neutral expert. India has announced

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that it will continue to build the project and therefore there is concern by Pakistan
and it is seeking World Bank assistance in the matter
Political Intervention
In 2016, India announced suspension of all meeting for discussions on Indus Water
Treaty in reaction to the Uri attack that was blamed on Pakistan.
Explainer; On 18 September 2016, an insurgency occurred near the town of Uri in
the disputed Jammu and Kashmir, in which 19–30 persons were injured and 23
Indian soldiers were killed. India accused this attack on Pakistan to which Pakistan
denied and Prime Minister Mr Nawaz Sharif responded by saying that this could be
internal "reaction" of people in Kashmir and that India is blaming Pakistan "without
any evidence"
Can India interrupt the flow of water to Pakistan?
 Not as per the treaty but, India can violate the treaty by reducing the water flow
to Pakistan by utilizing the provisions of the treaty. But such project that can
divert the water flow requires time , huge sums of money to change the
topography/geography of a place will also need international cooperation
 If India decides to violate and disrespect the Indus water treaty, then its
international reputation and credibility will be compromised especially with its
neighbours like Nepal and Bangladesh with whom it has joint water agreements.
Actions of violation from India with Pakistan can create mistrust with Nepal and
Bangladesh
 Despite all this if India still wants to violate the treaty and decide to divert the
water towards its inland than it will be more disastrous than helpful because
India does not have the infrastructure to use or store the additional water. Such
an action can cause floods and destroy the settlements and economy of India.
 80 – 90%% of Pakistan’s agriculture is irrigated by river Indus waters, reducing
the water flow to Pakistan will unleash unrest and people sentiments and reaction
in Pakistan which can lead to conflicts between the two countries and unrest in
the region
Matters of Concern for implementingthe Indus water treaty
The Permanent Commission came into being in 1960 and so it is very old and therefore
with the changing geopolitical situations of the south Asian region there is need to
revisit and interpret the modalities of the Indus treaty keeping the present conditions.
The treaty needs to be examined on mechanism for consultation and conflict resolution.

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The Commission must not be influenced by political agendas but it must play its role in
national interest and should meet regularly to discuss and find co-operate solutions for
the smooth implementation and regular up gradation of the treaty
Matters beyond the two countries that need co-operate wisdom
Indus originates from Tibet in China. China can close down the water running from its
head front and create problems for both countries
Climate change is causing the melting of glaciers in the Tibet to which geologists are
raising concern that the water capacity of the Indus can be minimized. It is wise
therefore to divert attention to this matter and that an immediate climate change
modalities by formulating a triage with China should be considered
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) was meant to reduce hostilities between India and
Pakistan. It should be kept in the same spirit. Political conflicts and people issues are
two different dimensions and should not be mingled
Should the people of the two countries become un-restful then the Kashmir issue can
be further triggered and mistrust and violence can irrupt beginning a water war
Conclusion and Way Forward
1. Indus Water Treaty is in its true sense a means of peaceful survival between the
two countries
2. Respecting its conditions and implementation by making the regular up-gradation
and reforms that it demands based on the changing geographical, political and
environmental challenges of the south Asia region.
3. Both countries should respect this document as an agreement of peace and make it
workable such that it benefits the people of both countries.
4. This agreement should not become a game in the hands of the bad politicians, it
should be kept away from becoming politically maneuvered and refrain it becoming
a reason for war between two interdependent countries.
Global learningfrom the Treaty
The treaty is among the most successful water-sharing arrangements in the world and
an example on how diverse countries can live interdependent on each other and
maintain peace in the region