Pakistan go thirsty, braces for worst after India blocks Chenab water flow: 'They are using our water'

Pakistan is feeling the heat of India's decision to block the Chenab waters through the Baglihar Dam, with its officials stating the flow has reduced manifold in the river. India, on Sunday, restricted flows through Jammu’s Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric dams on the Chenab that runs onto Pakistan.  

 

A Pakistani official said the water flow in the Chenab, recorded at Marala headworks situated near Sialkot, has decreased from 35,000 cusecs to 3,100 cusecs on Monday, reported Dawn. While Chenab flowed at 35,600 cusecs on Sunday at Marala headwork, it dropped to 3,177 cusecs on Monday morning, showing a reduction of almost 11 times.

 

An irrigation department official from Pakistan's Punjab province said the Indian side was "using our water to fill up their dams and hydropower projects in the Chenab basin". "They cannot do this since it is a grave violation of the Indus Water Treaty…," the official told Dawn. 

 

The official believes India is filling up the Baglihar, Salal and Pakal Dul dams, especially the Salal which is situated 76km away from Marala. "The reason behind the massive reduction in the flows is the filling of these dams, which have a total storage capacity of over 1.2 million acre-feet," the official said, adding that the filling process could leave Pakistan without water for the next four to five days. The official said India, however, cannot control water inflows to Pakistan in Chenab from Jammu-Tavi and Munawar-Tavi distributaries. 

 

However, the official says Pakistan will have to battle an even bigger threat: If India suddenly restarts discharging water downstream, it could flood Chenab putting the population at risk. 

 

Reduced water flow to Chenab could prove detrimental for Pakistan as many of its canals that irrigate a vast tract of agricultural land in Punjab depend on the river. This has triggered concerns that it could cause additional shortages in Kharif crops, which are already facing a shortfall.

 

A meeting of the advisory committee of the Indus River System Authority that met on Monday said the "sudden decrease in river Chenab inflows at Marala due to short supply by India would result in more shortages in early Kharif season." 

 

Meanwhile, India has begun work to improve the holding capacity of reservoirs at two hydroelectric projects at Salal and Balighar dams. A "reservoir flushing" process to remove sediment began last week which resulted in sediment-laden waters being released downstream from the reservoirs, potentially causing sudden inundation, followed by a reduced flow of water as the reservoirs are refilled.

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