Pak stares at water scarcity amid India’s Indus info blackout

India’s continued suspension of hydrological data sharing on Indus river flow has raised fresh alarm in Pakistan, where declining water levels in key reservoirs threaten to cause severe shortage in the upcoming Rabi season.

Official sources say India has not shared flood or river flow data with the neighbouring country since April, following the deadly attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Data from Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority (IRSA), accessed and analysed by The Tribune, reveals that the Mangla dam situated on the Jhelum in Mirpur district of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is filling up at an extremely slow pace, which may result in shortage of water in the coming months.

As per data from July 23 to August 1, the dam’s storage capacity rose by a mere seven feet from 1,193.45 feet to 1,201.20 feet. This is apparently due to reduced inflow of water into the dam.

Further analysis of the data shows that the “mean inflow of water” in the dam has also substantially reduced from 68,468 cusecs on July 23 to 25,150 cusecs on August 1.

Reports suggest that India’s move to put “the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance” forced Pakistan to release emergency water from the Mangla dam in May and June, fearing sudden upstream blockages or fluctuations. This seems to have slowed down the dam’s filling and exacerbated the current shortfall in water reserves.

The IRSA Advisory Committee (IAC) had also held a meeting in early May where it had decided “judicious use of reservoirs” owing to the short supply of water in Chenab.

The Indus Waters Treaty allocates the Western Rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India. At the same time, the treaty allows each country certain uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty gives India 20% of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80% to Pakistan.

Top News