Indus Water talks today

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Indus Water talks today

The India- Pakistan Permanent Indus Water Commission will begin its four-day meeting here on Sunday under the shadow of Islamabad's threat to set up a court of arbitration on the Kishanganga project on Jhelum river in Jammu and Kashmir. The Commission was set up under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

Having raised the pitch on water sharing issues with India in recent weeks, Pakistan is likely to raise objections to the Uri-II, the Chutak and the Nimoo Bazgo hydel projects in the Kashmir valley.

Pakistan alleges that the projects are a violation of the water treaty between the two countries that governs their rights on six common rivers.

“For every project Pakistan raises a technical objection with the aim to turn water into a political issue,'' a Ministry of External Affairs source said. India maintains there is no violation of the treaty.

The 240 MW Uri-II hydel project over Jhelum is in Baramullah, the 45 MW Nimoo Bazgo and the 44 MW Chutak hydel project are proposed for Laddakh.

While the Chutak project would be located on the river Suru, a tributary of the Indus in Kargil district, the Nimoo Bazgo project is proposed to be near Alchi village on the river Indus in Leh district.

Besides discussion on these projects, the Indus Commissioners will exchange flood data and exchange the annual reports. They will also talk about the future programmes and plan any visits that may be required to project sites on either side.

 

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Pakistan delegation off to India for talks on water

LAHORE: An 11-member Pakistani delegation, led by Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah, left for New Delhi on Saturday to hold talks on a range of water-related issues between the two countries.

Talking to journalists at the Lahore airport, Mr Shah said that water compensation, construction of two power projects on river Indus, installation of the telemetry system and other issues would be taken up with Indian officials.

About the compensation of 200,000 million acre feet of water which Pakistan has been seeking for the past one year, he said the figure had been calculated after taking into account the filling of Baglihar dam by India. Though India has not agreed to Pakistan’s view, the issue is on the table, he added.

Next on agenda are the issues of Nimo Bazgo dam and Chutak hydroelectric project being built by India on tributaries of river Indus. Mr Shah said Pakistan had conveyed its objections to both projects and would seek Indian replies to them, adding if the current mechanism failed Pakistan would be referring the matter to neutral experts.

India has stepped up construction of Nimo Bazgo dam and Chutak hydroelectric project and it is diverting flow of all rivers passing through occupied Kashmir.

The two gigantic projects would hit the Indus flow to the extent of 35,000 cusecs and delay it for 20-25 days, affecting Pakistan’s cropping pattern.

India has reportedly agreed to bring some changes to the projects’ designs, but sought time to hold deliberations on the matter.

Talking about the Kishanganga project, which has been referred to international arbitrators, the water commissioner said that Pakistan had conveyed names of two experts in accordance with the Indus Water Treaty. India is now required to finalise two names form its side by June 18, failing which it would lose the right of nomination, Mr Shah said, adding that in that situation both countries would propose three names of neutral experts to resolve the issue.

He said Pakistan would also take up the issue of installing a telemetry system on rivers flowing into Pakistan.

DAWN.COM | Front Page | Pakistan delegation off to India for talks on water

 

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Rally against Indian water aggression

LAHORE - Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz and Pakistan Water Movement on Sunday organised a 45-kilometer long rally from Baiddian to Gundda Singh against Indian water aggression as well as violation of Indus Water Treaty of 1960.
A press release issued on Sunday stated that more than 1,000 participants of rally chanted anti-India slogans and the leader Muhammad Ayub Mayo demanded that India must stop violation of Indus Water Treaty.
Addressing the protesters Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz chief Ayub Mayo said that India could only use 2.85 maf water for the irrigation purposes.
He added that Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz and Pakistan Water Movement would break the LOC on September, 19, if India did not stop water aggression against Pakistan.
He said that India must construct dams on ‘run-off rivers’ while abandoning storage of water under different conditions, adding that foreign companies should invest in India in accordance with the norms set by Pakistan so that intended conspiracy against Islamabad could be avoided.
The speakers also said that foreign companies (powers) had provided about 2.75 billion dollars to India for constructing dams on Pakistani water, which shows clear conspiracy.
Ayub said that Pakistan Water Movement and Pakistan Muttahida Kisan Mahaz would protest against Indian water aggression from Chokithi border to Monbo border if India continued water theft.

 

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India rubbishes Pak charges on water theft

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Peeved at Pakistan's oft-repeated allegation that it is being deprived of its share of common waters, India on Sunday said such charges were aimed at diverting the attention of their people from their "own inefficient" use of the vital resource.

On the eve of the bilateral talks on water here, India asserted that it has never deprived Pakistan of its share of water, not even during wars and had no intention to do so ever.

"India has no intention of taking away water which may be rightfully theirs...We have demonstrated this even in the past. When relations were at nadir, when we were at war, we did not use water as a weapon to deprive them of their share," Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told PTI.

 

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Pak radical outfit issues warning to India over water dispute

Lahore: A group allied to the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, blamed by New Delhi for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Sunday warned there would be a "war" if India did not release Pakistan's share of river waters. The warning was issued during a rally organised by the JuD's Pakistan Water Movement.

The rally began from the BRB Canal in Lahore but police stopped protestors before they reached their final destination of Ganda Singh along the border with India.

JuD leader Hafiz Saifullah Mansoor said the whole nation is ready to "wage a war" against India over differences on sharing of river waters.

"The 180 million Pakistanis will prefer to fight against India instead of dying of hunger," he said.

However, India has repeatedly dismissed Pakistani charges that it was stealing waters of rivers Jehlum and Chenab.

Senior JuD leader Hafiz Khalid Waleed claimed India planned to turn Pakistan into a country like Somalia by 2014 by building projects that blocked the flow of rivers.

"We have two options either to accept India's water terrorism or wage a war against it," he said.

Workers of the Mutahidda Kisan Mahaz, another group that has accused India of blocking Pakistan's share of river waters, also joined the rally.

Addressing the rally, MKM president Ayub Mayo said: "We will give our blood to irrigate our fields but we will not allow India to use the water of the Jehlum and Chenab."

He warned that if India did not stop "blocking" Pakistan's share of river waters, people would march up to Srinagar, capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We will hold a rally at Chakothi on September 19," he said.

Mayo said the persons appointed to the Indus Waters Commission by the Pakistan government did not dare raise their voice against India.

"Israeli engineers are overseeing the building of dams blocking Pakistan's share of waters," he claimed.

PTI