Modi government moves to divert water from Pakistan rivers
India suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty after deadly attack, prompting plans to expand water use from rivers feeding Pakistan
NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD (MNTV) — India is exploring plans to significantly increase the volume of water it diverts from rivers in the Indus basin that flow into Pakistan, in what officials describe as a retaliatory move following a deadly April attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to a Reuters report citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, the Indian government began drafting plans to expand irrigation and hydropower infrastructure on the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers after 26 people were killed in a deadly attack on April 22.
New Delhi blames Islamabad for the incident—an accusation Pakistan denies.
Shortly after the attack, India suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, a 1960 agreement that governs water sharing between the two countries.
Although both sides agreed to a ceasefire last week after the worst border clashes in years, the treaty remains in abeyance.
One of the proposals under discussion involves doubling the length of the Ranbir Canal on the Chenab River—from 60 km to 120 km—to divert up to 150 cubic meters of water per second, nearly quadrupling the current flow, sources told Reuters.
Built in the 19th century, the canal currently transports water through Indian territory before the river enters Pakistan’s Punjab province.
India is permitted limited water use for irrigation and low-impact hydropower projects under the treaty, but officials are now weighing more aggressive infrastructure plans.
Documents reviewed by Reuters reveal discussions about redirecting water flows into Indian states and increasing hydroelectric capacity in Jammu and Kashmir to 12,000 megawatts, from the current 3,360 MW.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called India’s move unlawful, insisting the treaty remains in force.
Islamabad had warned in April that any attempt to divert its allocated water could be seen as an “act of war.”
Around 80% of Pakistan’s farmland depends on the Indus river system, along with most of its hydropower generation.
Though some of India’s proposed projects could take years to complete, a recent temporary drop of up to 90% in water levels at a key Pakistani intake point—attributed to Indian maintenance works—offered a preview of the leverage New Delhi could exert.
The Indus river system originates in Tibet and flows through India into Pakistan before draining into the Arabian Sea.
Despite decades of hostility between the two nations, the Indus Waters Treaty has largely endured, making it one of the world’s most resilient transboundary water agreements.
Indian officials have argued that the treaty needs to be renegotiated to account for population growth and rising energy demands.
Among the plans under review are five potential water storage projects, four of them on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum—an unprecedented shift in India’s strategy within the Indus framework.
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