New Delhi: A host of issues under the Indus Waters Treaty are likely to be discussed between the Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan. The annual meeting of the Indus Waters Treaty will begin here shortly Tuesday. Pakistan is also likely to raise objections to the design of Indian hydropower projects on Chenab river. The talks as part of the annual Permanent Indus Commission meeting are being held after a gap of over two years.
The Indian delegation is being led by PK Saxena. He will be joined by his advisors from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. The Pakistan delegation is led by its Indus Commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah. The delegation arrived here Monday evening.
This year’s meeting will be the first between the two commissioners after the August 2019 nullification of the operative provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The erstwhile state was also carved into two union territories – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
India has since cleared several hydropower projects for the region. Of these, Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) are in Leh; while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.
India had informed Pakistan about the projects. The issue is expected to come up for discussion during the meeting.
“India is committed towards full utilisation of its rights under the Treaty. It believes in an amicable solution of issues pertaining to Indus Waters Treaty through discussion,” said Saxena ahead of the meeting.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) warrants the two commissioners to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan. However, last year’s meeting scheduled to be held here in March was cancelled. It was a first since the Treaty came into being. The meeting was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, India had proposed to Pakistan that the meeting for discussing pending issues pertaining to Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) be held virtually in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but Pakistan insisted on holding talks at the Attari check post.
However, in response, India said it is not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari Joint Check Post due to the pandemic. With the improvement in situation, this mandatory meeting is being held with all COVID-19 related protocols. The last meeting took place in Lahore in August 2018.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960,. According to the treaty all the water of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually – is allocated to India for unrestricted use. Waters of western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.