The document discusses the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. It provides background on the Indus River and its tributaries, the historical dispute over water rights that led to the treaty, key aspects of the treaty, and ongoing disputes. Some key points: 1) The 1960 Indus Water Treaty apportioned the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Jhelum, Chenab, Indus) to Pakistan. 2) Disputes have arisen over various hydroelectric projects on both sides, such as the Tulbul Navigation Project, Baghliar Dam, and Kishanganga Dam. 3) Critics argue the

1. Indus Water Treaty
Jahanzeb Taj

2. Indus Water Treaty
River Indus (Sindh River )
Geographical contours:
 Length 3100 km, larger than ganga (2500 km) and
Brahmaputra (2800 km)
 Yang Ze river in China is the largest in Asia
 Originates in the Tibetan plateau near lake Mansarovar
 Enters India, runs across through the Ladakh region of
J&K towards Gilgit region
 Takes a southward direction and flows along the entire
length of Punjab, Pakistan, to merge with Arabian sea
near the port city of Karachi
 Longest river of Pakistan and
 21st largest river of the world in terms of annual flow
Main tributaries :
Chenab , Jhelum,
Ravi, Beas, Sutlej
Minor tributaries
Shylok , Gilgit , Kabul ,
Gomal , Kurrum and
Zanskar
2 2

3. The river's conventional name derives from the Tibetan and Sanskrit name Sindhu. The earliest
chronicles and hymns of the Aryan peoples of ancient India, the Rigveda, composed about 1500 bc,
mentions the river
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4. Indus Water Treaty
Historical perspective
Indus valley civilization comprises of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
Sindh/Indus river is strategically vital resource for Pakistan
After Pakistan and India declared independence, the use of water and its 5 tributaries
became a major dispute between them
Pakistan concerned about India building large dams to cut the supply flowing to Pakistan
Pak feared India could divert rivers in the time of war
Mistrust /suspicion between two countries
Its the eastern distribution treaty between India and Pakistan
During the first years after partition the waters of the Indus were apportioned by the Inter-
Dominion Accord of May 4, 1948.
 This accord required India to release sufficient waters to the Pakistani regions of the basin
in return for annual payments from the government of Pakistan. The accord was meant to
meet immediate requirements and was followed by negotiations for a more permanent
solution.
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5. …. continued
Neither side, however, was willing to compromise their respective positions and
negotiations reached a stalemate.
 Pakistan wanted to take the matter to the International Court of Justice but India
refused, arguing that the conflict required a bilateral resolution.
In 1951, David E. Lilienthal , former chairman of Tennessee Valley Authority, visited
India and Pakistan
Lilienthal wrote an article with suggestions that Indus Basin be treated, exploited
and developed as a single unit
 Treaty was brokered by the world bank (then the international bank for
reconstruction and development )IBRD
World Bank mediated from 1952 onwards, and Indus waters treaty was signed in
September 1960 although Pakistan, not fully convinced, refused to sign until 1958
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6. Indus Water Treaty- Details
According to this treaty, the eastern rivers; Ravi, Sutlej, Beas allocated for exclusive use
by India before they enter Pakistan
However a transition period of 10 years was permitted in which India was bound to
supply water to Pakistan from these rivers until Pakistan was able to build the canal
system for utilization of water .
All these rivers merge with Indus at Mitthan-kot in Pakistan
Pakistan has exclusive use of western rivers – the Jhelum , the Chenab and the Indus
Pakistan also received one time financial compensation for the loss of water from
eastern rivers
Since march 31, 1970 after 10 years moratorium, India secured full rights for use of
waters of 3 Rivers allocated to it
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7. …. continued
The treaty resulted in the portioning of the rivers rather than sharing of the
waters
Not an ideal and optimum way to settle the water issues
Like India–Bangladesh signed a treaty for sharing the waters of ganga river
in 1996
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9. Indus Water Treaty
The Disputes
The Tulbul Navigation Project (wullar barrage)
It was proposed to be built at the mouth of wullar lake in Baramulla district of Kashmir
Valley
The plan was to construct a barrage to increase the flow of water in Jhelum to make it
navigable during the lean season
Pakistan objected that it violates the provisions of the treaty
Pakistan believed that project would adversely affect the triple canal project, upper
Chenab canal, upper Jhelum canal and lower bari doab canal
That India would control the Jhelum river during winters
Mangla dam would be adversely affected
Project seemed to be a security threat to the Pakistan ‘s sovereignty
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10. ….continued
In 1986 Pakistan referred the project dispute to Indus water commission, but
after 1 year the commission recorded failure to resolve it; subsequently, India
stopped the construction
Form 1986-91 , 13 rounds of talks held but dispute remained unresolved
However India agreed to some of Pakistan’s conditions but after Pakistan added
the condition of not constructing Kishanganga project, India refused to accept
the condition
Dispute dominated Indo-Pak talks, the Agra summit of 2001 , secretary level
talks of 2011, but not much development have been achieved yet
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11. Indus Water Treaty – Disputes
The Baghliar project dispute
The dispute emerged in 1999 , when Pakistan challenged the design of the
project , it saw it as a violation of the treaty
The project gives India a strategic leverage to manipulate the flow of river during
any critical situation such as war
The Baghliar issue settled by third party but relations between two countries
became hostile when water was to be filled in the Baghliar dam
Pakistan demanded compensation for its loss
Finally differences over filling of dam were resolved in 2010
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12. 12

13. Indus Water Treaty – Disputes
The Kishan ganga project
It’s a project by india over Kishinganga river at Gurez
Project power generation capacity is 330 MW
Pakistan was of the view that the diversion will reduce the flow of water to the
Neelam Valley
It was the run of the river power project
Kishinganga river runs thorugh paksitan which we call Neelum river
Stil says unresolved
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14. Indus Water Treaty – Shortcomings
The treaty does not consider the effect of climate change on water
availability , sedimentation
The treaty does not address the issue of quality of pollution of water from
industrial or agricultural runoff , deforestation etc
There are no restrictions on how many dams countries can build
Its not a water sharing treaty
No provisions for drought etc
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15. 15

16. Indus Water Treaty – Revoking
India gets almost one-third of all its yearly water supplies of 1911 billion cubic
meters from Tibet , according to the latest UN data
China is making dams on Tibet Plateau , which can provide impetus to India
Brahma Chellaney , a well-known analyst, has stated that if Pakistan wants to
safeguard Indus Treaty and keep majority of the waters of the western rivers,
then it has to fulfill its other duty — as per international law — to stop
patronizing terror groups that are attempting to wrong the co-riparian state,
India in this case.
 He has cited Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties that
enables treaties to be dissolved, in case the circumstances change
fundamentally. His stance has also been supported by Yashwant Sinha, an
erstwhile Foreign Minister himself
India can use terrorism as a ground to revoke the treaty
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17. Indus Water Treaty – Diplomatic Side
India surrendered the British- inherited extraterritorial rights in Tibet in 1954 to
china
India got 19.48% of the aggregate water of the 6 rivers
Compare it with China , which enjoys unparalleled dominance over cross –border
river flows because of its control over the water-rich Tibetan Plateau, has publicly
asserted absolute territorial sovereignty over upstream river water, regardless of
downstream impact
 Brahmaputra, China has built so many dams in the last 10 years
China has not signed a water–sharing treaty with any of its 13 downstream
neighbors
Chinese construction of upstream dams on international rivers such as Mekong ,
Salween, Brahmaputra, ARUN, Sutlej, Indus, Irtysh, Illy and Amur
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18. 18

19. … continued–
A 2011 report prepared for the US senate Foreign Relations Committee
called the Indus Pact ‘ the worlds most successful water treaty for having
withstood 3 wars between India and Pakistan
US just gives 10 % water to Mexico being upstream
Demand in the J&K legislature for revision of Indus water are growing
since a resolution seeking a treaty review passed in 2003
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20. 20
The scope of the crisis can be demonstrated by a few key facts:
 About 92 % of Pakistan is classified as semi-arid to arid, and the vast majority of
Pakistanis are dependent on surface and groundwater sources from a single
source—the Indus River basin.
 Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan's population has more than
quadrupled; by 2100 its population will have increased by tenfold.
 About 90 per cent of the country's agricultural production comes from land
irrigated by the Indus Basin Irrigation System firmly linking national food security
to water levels in the Indus River basin.
 Pakistan’s water storage capacity is limited to a maximum 30-day supply, far
below the 1,000-day storage capacity recommended for a country with its
climatic characteristics.
Scope of crisis

21. 1) Inadequate access to safe drinking water for about 884 million people
2) Inadequate access to sanitation for 2.5 billion people, which often leads
to water pollution
3) Groundwater over drafting (excessive use) leading to
diminished agricultural yields
4) Overuse and pollution of water resources harming biodiversity
5) Regional conflicts over scarce water resources sometimes resulting in warfare
6) River Nile , River Indus and few other water reservoirs are too sensitive for
international wars
Effects of Water Scarcity
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22. 2
 Overuse of Water
 Pollution of Water
 Conflict
 Distance
 Drought
 Governmental Access
 High Temperatures
 Population
Causes of Water Scarcity
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23. Pakistan is already the third most water-stressed country in the world
It’s per capita annual water availability is 1,017 cubic meters – perilously close to the
scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic meters
Back in 2009, Pakistan’s water availability was about 1,500 cubic meters
Pakistan ranks nine in the list of top 10 countries with the lowest access to clean water
where 21 million of the total population of 207 million does not have access to clean
water
Pakistan has world’s largest irrigation system that irrigates over 16 million hectors of
land, out of 34 million hectors of cultivable land available
Pakistan wastes almost 29 billion USD worth water in Sea every year
Some Facts About Water Situation in Pakistan
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24. The average annual inflow of the Indus and its tributaries is 141.67 maf, of which 97% is
used in agriculture and the remaining 3% for domestic and Industrial purposes.
Out of 141.67 maf, around 106 maf is annually diverted in to one of the largest but in-
efficient irrigation system
The remaining 36 maf goes into the sea unused – a total loss
 Out of 106 maf, diverted into an extensive irrigation net work, more than 50% is lost
during the changeling and the field application before it reaches the crop root zone.
water storage capacity has often receded to less than 30 days against the minimum
requirement of 120 days
Between 1990 and 2015, per capita water availability declined from 2,172 cubic meters per
inhabitant, to 1,306 cubic meters per inhabitant.
There are around 1.0 million tubewells energized either with electricity (18.5 percent) or
diesel (81.5 percent). The abstraction of groundwater during 2013-14 was 50.2 MAF, which
has remained stagnant for the last 15 years
Basic Water Statistics
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25. Surface Water Sources in Pakistan :
Water reservoirs / capacities:-
Pakistan is having three basic reservoirs, namely mangla dam reservoir, Terbela dam reservoir and Chashma barrage
reservoir. Smaller reservoirs like Warsak, Baran dam, hub, Khanpur, Tanda, Rawal, Simly, Bakht khan Hamal lake, Mancher
lake, Kinjhar lake and Chotiari lake are also included as small storage.
(a) Terbela dam reservoir
World’s largest earth and rock filled dam was built at Terbela on river Indus in 1976 with a gross capacity of 11.62 maf and a
live storage capacity of 9.68 maf. With the passage of time, due to silting, 24.6% of the storage has been lost and now it has a
live storage of 7.295 maf.
(b) Mangla dam reservoir
Mangla reservoir is the second major storage of Pakistan. It was built in 1967 on river Jhelum with a gross capacity of 5.882
maf and live storage of 5.41 maf. Again due to siltation it has lost 13.2% of its storage and presently can store 4.636 maf of
water.
(c) Chashma barrage reservoir
Chashma barrage is situated on river Indus and was built in 1972 with a gross storage of 0.870 maf and live storage of 0.717
maf. It has also reduced its storage capacity by 39.3% and is left with a storage capacity of 0.435 maf.
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26. 26

27. (a) Indus Basin River
At the time of independence, we had about 67 maf water available for diversion; this amount increased to about 85 maf
by 1960. In 1960 Pakistan signed a water treaty “Indus water treaty” with India, which brought major changes in the
sources of water for Pakistan. In that treaty the right of three eastern rivers i.e. Beas, Sutlej and Ravi was given to India.
Now the Indus river basin constitutes of the mountain basins Indus plain, Karachi plains and desert areas of Sindh. Its
principle rivers and tributaries are Indus, Shyok, Gilgit, Astor, Siran, Kabul joined by Jhelum, Chenab and Sutlej. It covers an
area of 516,600 sq. km. its source of water are snowing, glacier melting and rainfalls. From this annually 141.67 maf of
water is being received.
(b) Closed basin Kharan desert
It consists of areas of mountain basins of Quetta and basins of tributaries draining in to Kharan desert. its main rivers are
Pishin Lora, Baddo Rakhshan, Mashkhel and many other streams. It covers an area of 120,100 sq. km. its main sources of
water are rainfall and nominal snow. Here we are getting approximately 4.5 maf of water.
(c) Makran coastal basin
Makran coastal basin constitutes of streams of Malir, Hub, Porali, Kud, Hingol, Nai, Mashhai, Dasht, Nihing and Kech. It
covers an area of 122,400 sq. km and its main source of water is rainfall. From this basin 0.78 maf of water.
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28. (a) Chasha dam
It would be located 200 miles upstream of terbela on river Indus. its gross storage capacity would be 7.3 maf and
live storage 5.7 maf. Its power generation capacity would be 3360 mw
(b) Kalabagh dam
Kalabagh dam site is located 132 miles down stream of Terbela. Its gross storage would be 6.1 maf. It would have a
power generation of 3600 mw.
(c) Thal reservoir
It would be located on the right bank of Chashma – Jhelum link canal, along the western bank of river Jhelum. Its
reservoir would have gross capacity of 2.3 maf.
(d) Raised Mangla dam
Mangla dam would be further raised by 40 ft increasing its gross capacity to 9.5 maf. Its power generation capacity
would be increased by 15%
(e) Mirani dam
The dam is located on Dasht River about 48 km of Turbat town in Mekran division. Its main objective is to provide
water for irrigation. Its gross storage is 0.30 maf.
(f) Gomalzam dam
It is located at Khajori Kach on Gomal River in South Waziristan, about 75 miles from Dera Ismail Khan. Its main
objective will be to irrigate 132000 acres of land, power generation of 17.4 mw and flood control.
From these projects we shall be able to store additional 20maf of water.
Water Development
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29. 29

30. Water Management
Our urban areas have grown out of proportion to the availability of
services, especially the supply of freshwater
We do not have a distinction between drinking water and the water
required for gardening/vegetation
Lack of accountability mechanism of water consumption.
With negligible water tax, our consumer has an unlimited supply of
water at his disposal according to his status
Increase in population exerting more demands of water supplies and
shrinking water sources closer to populated areas
Over pumping has lowered the water table in certain areas and now it
is getting deeper and deeper
Most of the settlements and villages washed away in the recent floods
have been those constructed in the river beds and low lying areas
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31. Regular maintenance of canals and other water channels to maintain
unobstructed water flow is the first step to reduce seepage.
Construction of roads and tracks on both sides of the water channels and
their permanent use is another way of reducing seepage.
Providing an alternative source of water to the grazing animals is another
very important step towards protecting the banks of water channels
building more reservoirs and an effective management strategy are the
needs of the time
Our reluctance to treat water as an economic good and inadequate
recognition of the environmental concerns associated with current
practices has led us to catastrophic situations
We need efficient and integrated management of water
Remedial measures to overcome the water crisis in Pakistan:
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32. (a) Less water means less agricultural yields and to fulfill the food requirements of the nation, we will be
dependent on other countries.
(b) Raising livestock is the main source of livelihood of rural areas. Which contributes 9.7% of GDP, will be
affected due to shortage of water.
(c) Orchards of Pakistan bring home a healthy amount of foreign exchange, water shortage can affect it
(d) Due to less production of main crops, which are wheat, cotton, sugar cane and rice, the Industries related
to them will suffer adversely.
(e) Then due to drought and more dependency on ground water for irrigation, the water table will go down
(f) Less agricultural outputs will compel people to head towards urban areas for jobs, increasing
unemployment further
(g) The distribution of water is controlled from the center by IRSA (Indus river system authority) as per 1991
agreement between the provinces. Now the shortage of water will cause disputes between the provinces
Impact on Economy
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33. Presently the losses occur due to seepage, infiltration and leakages etc. seepage results in
water logging and these losses can be reduced or eliminated by lining the canals
In addition, people should be educated to conserve water by cooperation
Further more government should make laws on water conservation, like many western
countries.
The second largest contribution to the total water available comes from the groundwater
sources. This source has been exploited and very well used by public and private tube
wells. It can still provide over 9 maf of water. This source can be exploited and judiciously
used for irrigation purposes. How ever in some areas ground water is rapidly depleting
due to excessive pumpage, authorities should take control in such areas to save them
from depleting.
Efforts be made to convert the present rotation based irrigation system to demand
oriented system.
The modern irrigation techniques, that is trickling, sprinkling etc, which have a potential
to improve water distribution and its utilization.
Water Management
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34.  Authorities should take appropriate steps to curb the illegal extraction of water and
ensure its equitable distribution.
 Presently irrigation department has failed to stop the illegal theft and extraction;
thus irrigation distribution system needs to be privatized through water user
associations.
 In addition, water, now-a-days is supplied to farmers at a very negligible cost and
that is why they do not treat water as a precious resource; therefore there is a need
to increase the water prices to make irrigators realize the importance of this asset.
 Farmer’s organizations, water user association, and private sector be involved in
construction, operation, and maintenance of the irrigation system. Such
associations are conceived as a mechanism for creating a cooperative frame work for
improvement of watercourses.
Water Management
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35. THANK YOU!
Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have……