Jyspa dam: IHC petitioned against dam building in India

Government petitioned to take immediate steps for halting the construction of the JYSPA Dam over River Chenab.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday was petitioned to direct the government to take immediate steps for halting the construction of the JYSPA Dam by the Indian government over River Chenab.

Advocate Kowkab Iqbal submitted a civil miscellaneous application (CMA) to the IHC under section 151 of Consumer Protection Code (CPC) as interim relief.

In his application, he stated that the government of India has started constructing JYSPA Dam over River Chenab. The dam is a hydroelectric project with a water storage capacity of about 12 million acres. He contended that the construction of JYSPA Dam is a violation of the Indus River Basin Treaty (IRBT). The petition maintained that the project’s completion will result in diversion of the river water and subsequent shortage of water in Pakistan will adversely affect agriculture in the country.

He said that the government of Pakistan, despite prior knowledge regarding the dam’s construction, has done nothing, so far. The government has neither raised the issue with the World Bank and international forums nor with India.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2012.