Govt’s plan to stop water flow to Pak

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 22

Setting the record straight, the Centre today said India has been utilising 95 per cent of waters of eastern rivers allocated to India for “exclusive use” under the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan on account of which about 2 million acre feet (MAF) of unutilised water from the Ravi annually flowed into Pakistan.

To utilise the water of the rivers, India has constructed Bhakra Dam on Sutlej, Pong and Pandoh Dam on Beas and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on Ravi. These storage works, together with other works like Beas-Sutlej link, Madhopura-Beas link, Indira Gandhi Nahar project, etc had helped to utilise country’s share of waters.

However, about 2 MAF of water from the Ravi annually is reported to be still flowing unutilised to Pakistan below Madhopur, the government said. Hence, three major projects, including construction of Shahpur Kandi on which work has resumed, have been planned to rectify the anomaly.

“The three projects will help India utilise its entire share of water given under the Indus Waters Treaty,” the government added.

The Shahpur Kandi project will help in utilising the waters coming out from powerhouse of Thein dam to irrigate 37,000 hectares in J&K and Punjab and generate 206 MW power. It was scheduled to be completed by September 2016, but work had been suspended since August 30, 2014, following a dispute between J&K and Punjab. Consequent to agreement reached between the two states on September 8, 2018, work has resumed.

The other is the proposed Ujh national multipurpose project, which will create storage of about 781 million cu m of water on the Ujh — a tributary of Ravi — for irrigation and power generation, and provide a total irrigation benefit of 31,380 hectare in Kathua, Hiranagar and Samba district of J&K, besides providing water for Kathua.

The DPR of the national project, which is scheduled to be completed in six years, has been technically approved for the total cost of Rs5,850 crore.

The third project is the second Ravi Beas link below Ujh (national project) which aims to tap excess water flowing down to Pakistan through Ravi by constructing a barrage across the river for diverting water through a tunnel link to Beas basin.

Under the Treaty, all water of the three eastern rivers averaging around 33 MAF were allocated to India for exclusive use. “The water of western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — averaging to around 135 MAF was allocated to Pakistan except specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India as provided in the Treaty.”

“India had also been given the right to generate electricity through run of river projects on the western rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation, is unrestricted,” the government added. The Indus system comprises main Indus river, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. The basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan with a small share for China and Afghanistan.

Projects being worked on… 

• Shahpur Kandi: To help utilise waters coming out from powerhouse of Thein dam to irrigate 37,000 hectares in J&K and Punjab, and generate 206 MW power
• Ujh: To create storage of 781 million cubic metre of water on the Ujh, a tributary of Ravi, for irrigation and power generation
• 2nd Ravi-Beas link below Ujh: To tap excess water flowing down to Pakistan through Ravi by constructing a barrage to divert water through a tunnel link to Beas basin