Daijiworld Media Network - Islamabad
Islamabad, Jun 4: Pakistan on Thursday alleged that India's reported plan to construct a river-linking project to divert water from the Chenab river to the Beas would constitute a "grave violation" of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and international water laws.
The remarks were made by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi in response to media reports claiming that India is planning a tunnel project to transfer water from the Chenab to the Beas river, both part of the Indus river basin.
The development comes after India placed the 1960-era Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Apr 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. The move was among several measures announced by New Delhi against Pakistan after the attack.
The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing and use of waters from the Indus river system between India and Pakistan.
According to Andrabi, India has reportedly invited bids for the proposed Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel project, which is expected to transfer around 1.9 million acre-feet of water annually from the Chenab into the Beas river system.
He claimed that such an inter-basin diversion would violate not only the Indus Waters Treaty but also provisions of international law, including the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties and principles reflected in the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses.
Under the treaty, Pakistan was granted rights over the waters of the western rivers — the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus — while India retained rights over the eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Andrabi also objected to India's reported plans for silt flushing at the Salal Dam, claiming the activity was not permitted under either the Indus Waters Treaty or the 1978 Salal Agreement.
The 690 MW Salal Hydroelectric Project is a run-of-the-river power station located on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.
Pakistan further alleged that India had neither officially communicated details of the reported projects nor sought consultations on the matter.
However, Pakistani authorities acknowledged that the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority had received information regarding increased water inflows from India. On May 22, the authority reportedly alerted relevant departments in Punjab province following communication indicating that water levels in the Chenab could rise between May 21 and May 30 after the opening of spillway gates at the Salal Dam.
A spokesperson for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said the information had been received through the Agriculture Department, which claimed it had obtained the communication from Indian authorities regarding the expected increase in river flows.
India has not officially commented on Pakistan's latest allegations regarding the proposed Chenab-Beas link project.