India has decided to fully utilise its share of unused water from rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej that has been flowing into Pakistan, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted on Thursday, a week after a suicide bomber drove an explosive-filled car into a CRPF convoy in Held Kashmir’s Pulwama district, killing 40 soldiers, Indian media reported.
In a series of tweets, Gadkari said, “Our Govt. has decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan. We will divert water from Eastern rivers and supply it to our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab”.
A dam is being built on the Ravi river at Shahpur-Kandi.
“Moreover, UJH project will store our share of water for use in J&K and the balance water will flow from 2nd Ravi-BEAS Link to provide water to other basin states,” a second tweet from the minister read.
“He (Nitin Gadkari) is talking about diverting India’s share of Indus water, which was going to Pakistan – and he has always been saying this as you all know,” ANI quoted Neeta Prasad, a senior official from the Water Resource Ministry, as saying. Officials said the plan was in place since 2016, and the three dam projects, announced then, have recently been inaugurated.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty – brokered by the World Bank and signed by India and Pakistan in 1960 – India has control over the waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers. Pakistan has control over the waters from Jhelum, Chenab and Indus.
Published in Daily Times, February 22nd 2019.
