KARACHI: Water flows from India into the Chenab river have dropped by 91,000 cusecs in the past two days, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) said on Saturday.
Last month, New Delhi suspended its participation in the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which governs the usage of river water between the two nations.
The move was in response to the attack in the Pahalgam area of India-held Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed.
India, without evidence, blamed Islamabad for the attack. The latter has denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe.
Water discharge on Saturday remained zero at Head Marala
According to Wapda data, the inflow of water in the Chenab river at Marala Headworks near Sialkot was 98,200 cusecs on May 29, before dropping to 44,800 cusecs on Friday, Dawn.com reported.
The inflows plunged further to 7,200 cusecs on Saturday, with no water discharged. The overall reduction of inflows was 91,000 cusecs.
The Flood Forecasting Division of the Pakistan Meteorological Department also said the flows at Maral Headworks showed a falling trend.
The water inflows of the Chenab river were impacted last month when India virtually stopped the water discharge without prior notice on May 5.
A senior official of the Punjab irrigation department had said at the time that India was using Pakistan’s water “to fill up their dams/hydropower projects in the Chenab basin”.
Last month, India expedited the planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers — three bodies of water in the Indus system that were given to Pakistan.
Pakistan has been censuring India over its decision to unilaterally suspend the IWT.
On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned Pakistan would not allow New Delhi to weaponise water.
He said the issue was a red line for Pakistan and India will not be allowed to endanger millions of lives for narrow political gains.
His statement came after India’s PM Narendra Modi threatened that Pakistan would not get water from rivers over which India had “rights”.
Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2025