India launches feasibility study for Indus water transfer plan, read all about this ambitious project planned to divert surplus Chenab flow from J & K to other Indian states

After the Indian government suspended the Indus Water Treaty in the aftermath of Pakistan-backed Islamic terror attack in Pahalgam, Pakistani government has been writing letters to India begging for the treaty’s resumption. While Pakistan were sending letters requesting India for the resumption of the treaty, their politicians have also been issuing ‘blood will flow’ and ‘we will stop your breath’ threats. However, India has taken firm stand and is in no mood to let its fair share of water flow into Pakistan.

India has chalked out an inter-basin water transfer plan for full utilisation of its share of Indus river waters. A feasibility study is being undertaken for a 113-km canal for diverting surplus flows from Jammu & Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. This canal will link Chenab river with the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej system, Times of India reported.

Under this project, India will optimise its share of water as per IWT by ensuring better use of both eastern (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) rivers, reducing excess flows into Pakistan.

Hinting at a larger plan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah while addressing a meeting in Pachmarhi said, “Indus waters will be taken to Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar through canals within three years.”

The proposed canal project will involve connecting the 13 existing canal structures across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, ultimately flowing water into the Indira Gandhi canal system.

Uttam Sinha, senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, explained how redirecting Indus waters would help India cater to domestic water requirements. He said, “Redirecting surplus flows from J&K to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan could help balance regional water availability. This internal reallocation would strengthen India’s water resilience in the face of climate variability and changing rainfall patterns.”

Modi government to revive Ujh multipurpose project

Notably, the Modi government is also set to revive the impending Ujh multi-purpose project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua. The Ujh is a tributary of the Ravi. This project will be used for hydropower, irrigation and drinking purposes. A second Ravi-Beas link below Ujh, which was earlier planned to halt excess Ravi water from entering Pakistan, will now be part of the larger canal project. This would involve a barrage and tunnel to transfer water to the Beas basin.

Centre planning to double Ranbir Canal’s length

To facilitate the 113-km-long canal for redirecting surplus flows from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, the central government is planning to double the length of the Ranbir canal from 60 km to 120 km to draw water from the Chenab. Based on feasibility assessments, the Centre will work towards fully utilsing the Pratap canal.

Notaby, these programs supplement current short-term interventions like the Chenab’s Salal hydro projects and the desilting of Baglihar reservoirs.  In order to better exploit its Indus system share, India is also accelerating construction on a number of hydroelectric projects, including Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kiru (624 MW), and Kwar (540 MW).

Indus Water Treaty and how India has been maximising its share of water over the years

Signed on 19^th September 1960 in Karachi, the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan was brokered by the World Bank. This water-sharing agreement governs the use of the Indus River system by India and Pakistan. Signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan Field Marshal Ayyub Khan, this treaty allocates the waters of six rivers originating in the Himalayas, broadly divided into two categories: the eastern rivers and the western rivers. The eastern rivers Ravi (origin in Himachal Pradesh), Beas (flows through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab), and Sutlej (originates in Tibet, flows through India into Pakistan) were allocated to India, while Indus, Chenab and Jhelum were allocated to Pakistan.

India effectively utilises the waters of eastern rivers for hydropower, irrigation and other purposes. Meanwhile, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab are essential for Pakistan’s hydropower, irrigation and other needs, with Indus being nothing short of Pakistan’s lifeline.

While the signing of IWT was touted as a historic step towards mutual cooperation and peace, this treaty was not essentially balanced; in fact, it actually benefited Pakistan more due to the higher water flow in its assigned rivers, the western rivers.

Notably, under this arrangement, India controls around 20 per cent of the total water flow, which translates into 33 million acre-feet or 41 billion cubic meters annually, and Pakistan gets 80 per cent, which is approximately 135 million acre-feet or 99 billion cubic meters. This agreement allowed limited non-consumptive uses of the western rivers, such as hydropower generation, however, it restricted blocking or dramatically altering water flow into Pakistan.   

However, with the treaty in abeyance, India is no longer required to heed Pakistan’s ‘concerns’ or ‘objections’ (read deliberate obstructions over the designs of Indian projects).

Over the years, India has progressively worked to utilise its full allocation under the Indus Water Treaty, particularly, after the 2016 Uri Attack. India has in the recent years, increasingly focussed on bolstering infrastructure to capture water from the eastern rivers and limited use of western rivers.

In this direction, PM Modi inaugurated the Kishanganga project on the western river of Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir, in May 2018. Over 300 megawatts of electricity might be generated and at least 30,000 hectares of land can be irrigated using the approximately 0.65 million acre-feet (MAF) of water that the Kishanganga project stores from the Ujh river. PM Modi’s bold move came despite Pakistan’s protests.

The Kishanganga hydropower plant, which is situated on the Indus tributaries, started construction in 2007 and the Ratle Hydroelectric Plant, built on the Chenab had its foundation stone placed in 2013.

For a long time, India allowed some water of the Ravi River to flow into Pakistan unused. However, with the completion of the Shahpurkandi Barrage in 2024, this flow was halted, and around 1,150 cusecs of water were diverted to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab for irrigation. With this, India not only maximised the usage of an allocated eastern river for domestic use but also reduced water reaching Pakistan. Meanwhile, construction work of the Ujh Multipurpose Project and Makaura Pattan Barrage on the Ravi River and run-of-river (RoR) projects, including Ratle and Kiru on the Chenab and Jhelum, respectively, has also been accelerated.

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