• Pakistan tells India to refrain from unilateral manipulation of river flows, says move threatens regional peace
• Farmers complain uneven flow impacting irrigation, as not even enough available for initial watering
LAHORE: Alarmed by the abrupt variations in the flow of the Chenab River, which have caused consternation among farmers in Punjab, Pakistan has asked India to refrain from any unilateral manipulation of the river flow and fulfil its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Following the Pahalgam attack in April this year, New Delhi had put the treaty in abeyance as it blamed Pakistan for the deadly attack in held-Kashmir. Pakistan, however, maintains that India cannot act unilaterally and that the treaty is still in effect.
“The situation is really disturbing; the Chenab River’s control from upstream (India) is being handled by the Indian authorities through various run-of-the-river hydropower projects. When they flush water from the dams downstream (Pakistan) without informing us, the flow suddenly increases. And sometimes, they hold water for days, reducing flows massively,” a Punjab Irrigation Department official said.
The situation was particularly alarming from Dec 9 to 18.
On December 9, the inflows and outflows at Marala were gauged as 10,100 cusecs and 3,800 cusecs, respectively, followed by December 10, which witnessed inflows of 6,900 cusecs and 1,500 cusec outflows. On December 11, the inflows at Marala were recorded as 3,700 cusecs, but there were no outflows. On December 16, the inflows were even reduced to a mere 1,800, according to the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority. On the 17th, it increased to 3,800 cusecs. Such inflows have made it impossible for the authorities to discharge water downstream.
“The situation is really serious and strange for us, as the growers in several villages couldn’t even water their newly sown wheat crop as they did not receive any supply from various canals,” the irrigation official said.
Ameer Langra, a farmer from Khanewal, told Dawn that they had purchased water from tubewell owners since there was no supply from the Marala-Ravi link and other canals. “Sometimes, we see a sudden rise in our watercourses and sometimes, there isn’t even a drop of water in the respective canal and watercourses,” he said, adding that a large number of growers could not provide the critical first irrigation to their wheat crops.
According to Mr Langra, his area was already facing water scarcity after scores of tube wells were swept away by the recent flood that submerged large parts of central Punjab. “We appeal to the government to help us, ensuring water availability to save our farming,” he sought.
Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Khokhar said farmers were worried about the reduced inflows in the river. “I have also come to know that several growers couldn’t complete the first watering of their wheat crop,” he said, requesting the government to take up this issue with India and international forums effectively.
‘Abrupt variation’ in flow
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office said a formal communication had been sent to India seeking clarification on the matter.
In a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi talked about the “abrupt variation” in the flow of the Chenab River.
“Pakistan views these variations with extreme concern and seriousness. They allude to unilateral release of water into the Chenab River by India, without any prior notification,” Mr Andrabi said.
“Our Indus water commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matters in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty,” he said.
“Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the life and livelihood as well as food and economic security of our citizens,” he said.
“We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by the Pakistani Indus water commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulation of river flow and fulfil its obligations in letter and spirit under the Indus Waters Treaty provisions,” he said. He further said that the Indus Waters Treaty was a “binding international agreement”, which had been “an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region”.
Under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, three rivers that flow westwards — Indus, Chenab and Jhelum — were awarded to Pakistan, with India getting three eastern-flowing rivers of the Indus Basin.
Mr Andrabi said that violating the treaty threatened the “inviolability of international treaties and compliance with international law” and also posed a serious threat to “regional peace, principles of good neighbourliness, and norms governing interstate relations”.
“The international community must take notice of India’s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty, and counsel India to act responsibly and in accordance with international law and established norms as well as its own obligations,” Mr Andrabi said.
“Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India but will not compromise on the existential water rights of the people of our country,” he said.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2025
