India seeks to use more water from Indus basin, but within Indus Waters Treaty terms

Indian govt says country will use only its share of water for power and agriculture

The Indian government has decided to use more water from the Indus basin rivers, but within the limitations of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office set a December deadline for the country's Central Electricity Authority to complete the techno-economic appraisal, pending for over a year - to check the viability of about six hydroelectric projects on the Chenab, after consulting the Central Water Commission, Hindustan Times reported.



The projects include the proposed 1,856MW Sawalkote hydel project near the Line of Control (LoC).

The decision came after Modi in September reviewed the Indus Waters Treaty, a 56-year-old pact between the neighbouring countries that has survived three wars and numerous bilateral bickering. In a meeting, the Indian premier reportedly zeroed in on adopting an aggressive strategy to raise pressure on Pakistan. The move came days after he threatened the nation with global ‘isolation’ following the Uri attack in September.

India had been deliberating on the pros and cons of action on the 1960s water treaty between the two nations as a strong response to the separatist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir which left 18 Indian soldiers dead, according to NDTV. India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a charge the latter denied.



Referring to the government's recent decision, a senior water resources ministry official said, “This will be the first step towards ensuring speedy implementation of these projects, which can produce more than 5,000MW.”

“It generally takes anywhere between one and two years to get the techno-economic appraisal. After that the projects will have to get a host of clearances, including environment and forest.” The government stated that India would use only its share of water for power and agriculture purposes.

According to reports, concerned authorities have been directed to coordinate with IoK government to resolve issues which hindered the work of power projects started earlier, as well as identify areas where irrigation canals can be set up.

This article originally appeared on Hindustan Times.