India will dam three rivers, divert water flowing to Pakistan: Minister

Gadkari says India has first right to water from Uttarakhand rivers

Indian Union Minister for Transport and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said on Monday that India will dam three Uttarakhand rivers to curb flow of water to Pakistan, Express News reported.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of an agriculture summit in Haryana, the union minister said the rivers will be dammed to ensure the stored water could be used to overcome water shortages in the event of poor rainfall. Gadkari said that while the three rivers allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty constituted a separate issue, India had first right to water from the Uttarakhand rivers as they were imperative for national development.



"This is why we will build three different dams and store water. This will remedy water shortages across Indian Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan," he said.



Gadkari added that India had been awarded exclusive rights over three rivers courtesy the Indus Waters Treaty. He said India had not been able to utilise water from the rivers in accordance with its needs. The 'extra' water flowing to Pakistan constituted a breach of the treaty, he said.