LAHORE: Water flow in the River Chenab saw a significant improvement, a day after it had dramatically declined—an apparent response by India to international pressure following the recent disruption in river flows toward Pakistan.
After unilaterally halting water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India had drastically reduced the Chenab’s flow from 34,000 cusecs on Sunday to just 3,000 cusecs by Monday.
However, on Tuesday, the situation shifted rapidly, with inflows at the Marala Headworks surging to 28,300 cusecs.
According to a senior official from Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), “Water release from upstream began again on Tuesday.
If no further disruptions occur, we expect the flow to continue stabilizing.”
Data released by WAPDA showed inflows and outflows at Chenab’s Marala point at 28,300 cusecs and 19,100 cusecs, respectively.
The Indus River at Tarbela had inflows of 95,300 cusecs and outflows of 50,000 cusecs.
Meanwhile, River Kabul at Nowshera recorded 37,000 cusecs, and the River Jhelum at Mangla reported inflows of 43,500 cusecs with 32,000 cusecs released downstream.
Regarding dam reservoirs, Tarbela’s current water level stood at 1,444.3 feet (against a maximum of 1,550 feet), containing live storage of 0.902 million acre-feet (MAF).
Mangla Dam held 1.235 MAF with a current level of 1,137 feet, while Chashma reservoir had 0.208 MAF at a level of 646.9 feet.
Influence from Global Stakeholders
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the abrupt resumption in Chenab’s flow likely followed diplomatic or global intervention.
“Most of India’s hydropower installations in the Chenab basin are run-of-the-river, which are not designed for extended water storage. They can only retain flows for a maximum of 36 hours,” he said.
“The fact that India resumed flow within a day implies some level of external diplomatic pressure was applied. Hopefully, this won’t be repeated.”
Read More: India Violates Indus Water Treaty Many Times, Report
The official noted that Pakistani institutions are now monitoring the situation closely to prevent further violations.
Former Water Commissioner Speaks Out
Commenting on the situation, former Indus Waters Commissioner for Pakistan, Syed Jamat Ali Shah, described the temporary halting of water as a breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and a contravention of prior rulings regarding the Baglihar Dam.
He explained that a neutral expert had ruled that Baglihar’s reservoir maintenance was crucial due to high silt deposits from the river.
However, sand flushing was only permitted when water flow reached 70,000 cusecs—typically achievable only during the monsoon.
“India appears to have opened the spillways to remove sediment despite insufficient flow and then abruptly shut them to refill the dam, bypassing treaty obligations,” Mr. Shah said.
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The latest developments come amid rising concerns over regional water disputes and reinforce Pakistan’s call for adherence to international agreements governing transboundary water sharing.
