ISLAMABAD: India has stopped the water flow from Salal Dam on the Chenab River, a day after cutting off water flow to Pakistan from the Baglihar dam, Indian media reported.
India is reportedly considering taking similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, Hindustan Times reported.
The decisions were taken after the Indian government suspended the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.
The media reports alleged that the Indian government, after a week of discussions and hydrological testing, reduced downstream flow to Pakistan by up to 90%.
“We have closed the gates of the Baglihar hydel power project. We had done desilting of the reservoir, and it has to be refilled. The process was started on Saturday,” Hindustan Times reported, citing a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation official.
The hydroelectric dams — Baglihar in Ramban in Jammu and Kishanganga in north Kashmir — offer India the ability to regulate the timing of water releases, Press Trust of India reported, quoting sources familiar with the matter.
Earlier, the water level in the Chenab River rose on May 2 following heavy rainfall in the Akhnoor sector of Indian occupied Kashmir.
According to Pakistan’s Irrigation Department officials, the water inflow at Head Marala on the Chenab River has plummeted from 87,000 cusecs to just 10,800 cusecs in the past 24 hours.
The abrupt drop has sparked concerns of acute shortages downstream, potentially affecting irrigation and drinking water supplies in the Jhelum and surrounding regions.
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