Indus Water Treaty

Why in news?

• The 118th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) comprising of Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan was held on 30-31 May 2022 in New Delhi.
• The Commission appreciated the commitment of the two sides to interact frequently and resolve issues through bilateral discussions under the Indus Water Treaty

About Indus Water Treaty:

• Indus Waters Treaty, treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan and brokered by the World Bank.
• Under this treaty, India got control over: Beas , Ravi , Sutlej
  • All the waters of the three eastern rivers, averaging around 33 million acre-feet (MAF), were allocated to India for exclusive use.
• Pakistan got control over Indus, Chenab, Jhelum rivers
  • The waters of these western rivers averaging to around 135 MAF, were allocated to Pakistan except for 'specified domestic, non-consumptive and agricultural use permitted to India,' according to the treaty.
  • India has also been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river (RoR) projects on the western rivers which, subject to specific criteria for design and operation, is unrestricted.
• The treaty allocates 80% of water from the six-river Indus water system to Pakistan.
• A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty.
• Though Indus originates from Tibet, China has been kept out of the Treaty.
• To utilize the waters of the Eastern rivers which have been allocated to India for exclusive use, India has constructed following dams:
  • Bhakra Dam on Satluj,Pong and Pandoh Dam on Beas and Thein (Ranjit Sagar) on Ravi.

Add ons:

• To stop the flow of these waters that belong to India for its utilization in India, following steps have been taken:
  • Shahpurkandi Project: This project will help in utilizing the waters coming out from powerhouse of Thein dam for irrigation and power generation in J&K and Punjab. The construction work is being undertaken by the Govt of Punjab under monitoring of Govt of India.
  • Construction of Ujh multipurpose project: This project will create a storage of water on river Ujh , a tributary of Ravi for irrigation and power generation in India.
  • The 2nd Ravi Beas link below Ujh: This project is being planned to tap excess water flowing down to Pakistan through river Ravi, by constructing a barrage across river Ravi for diverting water through a tunnel link to Beas basin.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan:

1.Indus Waters Treaty was signed and brokered by the UN.

2.Under this treaty, India got control over Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a)1 only

(b)2 only

(c)Both 1 and 2

(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer