Muhammad Shees Khan
THE RECENTLY released report titled ‘Avoiding Water Wars in South and Central Asia’ by Senator John Kerry, substantiated Pakistan’s concerns at the building of 190 projects by India on the western rivers in contravention to Indus Water Treaty (IWT)-1960 — signed to resolve water dispute between the two newly independent countries using water as a “common resource”. The US Committee report cautioned that India is building 33 projects in the Occupied Kashmir that could enable her to store enough water to limit the supply to Pakistan at ‘crucial moments’ in the growing season. Pakistan has conveyed its concerns to India on these projects. Differences over sharing river waters have emerged as a major irritant in the peace process between India and Pakistan over the past few years. According to Indus Water Treaty of 1960, India got the exclusive control over the waters of the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej, whereas Pakistan controls the waters of the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab. The Treaty barred India from interfering “with the water of these rivers except for domestic use and non-consumptive use, limited agriculture use and limited utilization for generation of hydro-electric power.” India has interpreted the clauses of IWT-60 in such as way that shows (a) that no single dam along the waters controlled by the Indus Waters Treaty will affect Pakistan’s access to water, (b) as Pakistan has no proper system for water storage so India has a right to produce power and irrigate their lands.
The problem between the two countries arose when India decided to build a dam on the Kishanganga River that originates in Indian Occupied Kashmir, with a plea to solve the problem of navigation over a distance of 22-KM between the Wullar Lake and Baramula connecting Srinagar with Baramula. The Kishanganga river assumes the name of Neelum river upon entering in the Azad Kashmir region and becomes river Jhelum when it enters Pakistan. India proposed to build the barrage in 1984 on the River Jhelum, at the mouth of Wullar Lake, India’s largest fresh water lake, near Sopore town in Kashmir Valley. The proposed site for dam is near Kanzalwan – a town from where the river enters Azad Kashmir. The Indian plans include storing water and then tunneling it to the Wuller Lake, where it is constructing a 800MW powerhouse. The Indian point of view regarding construction of Wullar barrage is: (a) it can transport 0.5 million tons of apples and other fruits from the gardens Baramula jungles to Srinagar. (b) not affecting the stored water being put to agriculture use. (c) a navigational project. (d) would off-load silt, therefore, Mangla would get silt-free water. (e) would help maintain the flow of flood waters.Pakistan is constructing Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project located near Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Administered Kashmir. It aims to dig a tunnel and divert water of Neelam River from Nauseri, about 41 KM East of Muzzafrabad. A Powerhouse will be constructed at Chatter Kalas, 22 Km South of Muzaffarabad; and after passing through the turbines the water will be released in Jhelum River, about 4 Km South of Chatter Kalas. Once completed, the Neelam Jhelum Hydroelectric Project will produce 969 MW of electricity annually at the cost of US $2.16 billion. The project will be built by a consortium comprising China Gezhouba Water and Power Company and China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (CMEC) in eight years. The “strategically important” project will help secure Pakistan’s rights over Neelum-Jhelum waters and go a long way in bridging the energy gap in the country by generating 969MW of electricity. Under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 between India and Pakistan, the country which finishes its project first on the Neelum would get “priority rights” to the use of the river’s waters.
Pakistan has been vehemently opposing the construction of the Kishanganga hydropower project. Pakistan believes that the diversion of waters of Neelum is not allowed under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and it will face a 27 per cent water deficit, when the project gets completed in 2016. The decrease in flow of water during ‘sowing season’ will adversely affect the crops. The reduced water flow in the Neelum would not yield the required results of the proposed Neelum-Jehlum hydropower project. Pakistan believes Wullar barrage can be used as: (a) a geo-strategic weapon – a mean to intimidate Pakistan, (b) potential to disrupt the triple canal project of Pakistan (upper Jhelum, upper Chenab, lower Bari Doab canals), (c) badly affecting the Neelum-Jehlum hydro-power project, (d) affecting agriculture in Azad Kashmir (e) would dry 5.6 million acres of lands of Punjab’s cultivable land, in case Kishanganga water is blocked and the excess is diverted to Wuller barrage, (f) would results in loadshedding, if Pakistan does not get enough water to run its turbines. (g) would dry Mangla dam.
The water issues can be judiciously addressed by sharing the water as a “collective resource” for our future generations. Any major upstream alteration in a river system, should be negotiated, not imposed as in case of Indian water overtures on river Jhelum.
John Briscoe, expert on South Asia’s water issues at Harvard University, speaks more about the rights and privileges of lower riparian countries, underscoring the accommodation and generosity of the upper riparian nations. Briscoe’s article “War and Peace on the Indus” published in “South Asian Idea” puts the onus on India, being the upper riparian, to show restraint on the Indus basin, demanding that India should be more accommodating and considerate as an upper riparian. The two countries using water as a common resource should cooperate and open up a range of possibilities through “optimum development of the rivers” by “mutual agreement to the fullest possible extent.” The water dispute would not be nearly as acute, if India and Pakistan talked and shared data on water. Pakistan has asked India to provide details of its agricultural acreage, crops and other projects to enable it to make plans in advance. As the Salal Dam issue was resolved through talks in 1978, given the will, the Krishanganga issue can also be settled in the light of the Indus Water Treaty-1960.
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