Srinagar:
In a sharp response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, India has temporarily blocked the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, escalating tensions with Pakistan. The move, though temporary and within the bounds of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), is being viewed as a strategic warning to Islamabad.
Reports suggest that similar measures are under consideration for the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, indicating a broader re-evaluation of India’s water diplomacy with Pakistan amid rising hostilities.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, Pakistan has rights to unrestricted flow of water from the western rivers — Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus. India, however, retains the right to use the water from these rivers for non-consumptive purposes such as agriculture and hydroelectric power.
The Baglihar Dam, a run-of-the-river hydroelectric project located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, can hold only limited water before it must be released downstream. The project generates 900 MW of electricity and was completed in two phases, in 2008 and 2015 respectively. Similarly, the Kishanganga Project in Bandipore, with a 330 MW capacity, also operates on a run-of-the-river model.
Although the Baglihar project complies with treaty provisions, Pakistan has long raised objections, claiming its design could offer India strategic leverage in a conflict scenario. Islamabad’s concerns led to a referral to the World Bank. While a World Bank-appointed neutral expert acknowledged some technical concerns, it rejected Pakistan’s objections regarding the dam’s height and spillway design.
In the case of the Kishanganga project, Pakistan challenged India’s right to divert water from one tributary to another. A Court of Arbitration, however, ruled in India’s favor, allowing the project to proceed.
India’s current move to temporarily halt water flow is legally limited due to the dam’s storage restrictions — any prolonged disruption would require structural changes like raising the dam height, which is not an immediate possibility.
Pakistan has previously warned that any attempt by India to stop water flow would be seen as an act of war, threatening to terminate key bilateral agreements including the Simla Agreement, which underpins the Line of Control (LoC).
Tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have surged following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a Kashmiri local were brutally killed. The Indian government has accused Pakistan-backed elements of orchestrating the attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemning the incident, said the massacre was not only a strike on innocent civilians but also an assault on India’s soul.
“There is grief and rage across the country—from Kargil to Kanyakumari. The terrorists and those who planned this will receive a punishment they cannot imagine,” said the Prime Minister.
With diplomatic relations already strained, India’s recalibration of its approach to the Indus Waters Treaty sends a strong geopolitical signal, reinforcing that water may now be a key lever in future engagements between the two nations.
