Pakistan And India-Water Disputes-News And Updates

[blueRhino]

Pak won't object to Indian projects on Indus

India and Pakistan have made a breakthrough in their discussions on water sharing. The agreement came ahead of visits by Home Minister P Chidambaram to Pakistan this month and Foreign Minister SM Krishna visit next month.


Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamat Ali Shah told CNN-IBN's Suhasini Haidar that Pakistan has decided to withdraw its objections to at least two power projects - the Uri-2 and the Chutak projects, and may withdraw objection to a third, Nimoo Bazgo being developed by India. India, too, has agreed to site visits by the Pakistani team in Leh and Kargil, and has will share flooding information on rivers flowing from India into Pakistan.


Syed Jamat Ali Shah: I think we made progress because we agreed on the design of Uri Hydro Electric Plant subject to information from Indian side, and also on one of the Indus project called Chutak. Similarly for this coming flood season India has agreed to supply information in advance in order to take care of flood forecasting and save life and property from the flood prone areas.

Suhasini Haidar: There is a sense in India that Pakistan's accusations on water sharing have been unfair. That in fact it is even the Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who said that at least 33 per cent of Pakistan's problem with water comes from its own bad use of the water that flows into the country. How do you respond to that sense in India?


Syed Jamat Ali Shah: The management problem is everywhere. It is also in India, it is also in Pakistan, it is all over the world. But the present government has taken several steps, proactively and they have already started Neelam Jalam Hydro Electric Plant. The Bhasha Dam is to be started now. And more than 30 small dams are to be constructed within a few years.


Suhasini Haidar: Do you think the Indus Water Treaty, the water sharing treaty between India and Pakistan themselves are in some trouble. Or do you think you could drive this out?


Syed Jamat Ali Shah: I don't think that because you have rightly said that this treaty actually survived two wars. And if you go through the records of meetings and sight inspection, it means interaction. So there have been more than 200 interactions of the commission since 1960. So I think it is evident that the commission is active. They are doing their function. However, if there are certain issues which are still unresolved endeavour is to be made for its resolution.


Pak won't object to Indian projects on Indus - India - ibnlive

I think people of Pakistan, should be greatful to India, for not blocking the water, even at the time of war.

I am unable to see this in any Pakistan news papers, who were making a full blown story out of this. What will rupeenews and its readers do now?

 

[cricketrulez]

This means that we have traitors sitting in the govt chairs who can not deal with a water thief.

Wa wa wahaaaa wawawawaaaaaaaa!

crybaby!

 

[cricketrulez]

I think the Indians cannot be trusted on the water rights issue.

The issue of water in Pakistan is a serious one and affects all walks of life. We are a river based country and the Indus River has been and is our lifeline since the beginning of time.

While the region is still very much tense, I think the only thing to do, if for Pakistan to do a unilateral strike (similar to what Israel did against the Iraqi city of Osirak) and just take out the construction sites of indian dams. This is not a joke to mess around with another countries water supplies, and the pakistan army/air force should let them know, that this is not something we are going to ''negotiate''.
The situation is very simple, Pakistan without access to its water source is going in a catatrophic direction. We need to conduct a unilateral strike if the indians continue dragging their tails on the issue.

There is another solution! Live within your means. stop breeding like rabbits (not my words! another Pakistani poster claimed that muslims are breeding like rabbits)

 

[cricketrulez]

Agreed. we cant do anything atleast at official level. So the last official will be non-official action

Could you translate that? I don't understand gibberish!

 

[blueRhino]

This is how things are working in Pakistan, regarding the Indus water. The news "Pak won't object to Indian projects on Indus - India - ibnlive"was not published in any major news papers.

But today Dawn has this

India violating Indus water treaty: FO
Thursday, 03 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD: India is committing severe violation of the Indus water treaty, stated the Foreign Office Spokesman, Abdul Basit in a weekly briefing on Thursday.


Pakistan had not received any details of the recent meeting of the Indus water commissioner and it still held reservations about Indo-Pak water issue, he added.

He further said that there were differences between Islamabad and Washington over the drone attacks.

An inquiry commission had been formed by United Nation’s Human Rights council on Pakistan’s request about Israeli aggression on the Freedom Flotilla. The commission will start its investigation soon, Basit stated.

Answering a question about the Pakistan-India dialogue, he said that both nations still felt a lack of trust but Pakistan hoped peace could be fostered in the region.—DawnNews

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | India violating Indus water treaty: FO

and the Nation went like this

Nothing conceded to India: Pak
Published: June 03, 2010

LAHORE (APP) - Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said Wednesday that Pakistan had not conceded anything to India during Delhi water talks.
Talking to media at Lahore Airport on arrival from Indian capital, he said that India had allayed Pakistan’s apprehension about the design of Chutak and Uri-II hydro projects being executed by India over Indus and Jhelum rivers in the occupied Kashmir. About these projects India will provide more information to Pakistan within one week, he said, adding in case of Indian failure to do so Pakistan would use its right to go to International arbitration court or engage neutral experts. He said Pakistan has still objections about the design of Nimoo Bazgo hydro power project.

Nothing conceded to India: Pak | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

I am wondering how long is Lahore from Islamabad? Is Syed Jamat Ali Shah from Pakistan? Does he and Abdul Basit work for Pakistan goverment?

 

[ajtr]

Futile water wars​

Pak will achieve nothing with its anti-India campaign on water
Business Standard / New Delhi June 07, 2010, 0:04 IST
As was to be expected, the three-day Indo-Pak water talks in New Delhi last week failed to deliver any positive outcome. Pakistan had raised the pitch on the water issue in recent months, and it was not about to lower it after a routine meeting of the Permanent Indus Water Commission. Admittedly, the Pakistan delegation when in India did indicate a mellowing of its objections to some of the proposed hydro-power projects in Jammu and Kashmir. But, once back home, it harped again on alleged non-compliance by India with the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. It is also apparent that Pakistan has not learnt any lessons from the dispute over the Baglihar project, on which it sought neutral arbitration but received an adverse verdict. Otherwise, it would not have threatened to move for international arbitration on other projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Apart from the Kishenganga project, these include the 240 Mw Uri II project on the Jhelum and the Chutak and Nimoo Bazgo projects on tributaries of the Indus. All these are run-of-the river projects (i.e. without involving storage or diversion of water), in advanced stages of implementation.

The Indus treaty allows India to create water storage capacity of 3.6 million acre feet (MAF) on the three west-flowing rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — allocated to Pakistan. India has so far not built even a fraction of this storage. Also, much of the permitted 1.34 million acres of irrigation capacity is yet to be tapped. If any country has the right to complain, it should be India because the Indus treaty was based on the fundamentally flawed premise of dividing the rivers between the two countries, rather than distributing their waters. The three rivers given to Pakistan accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the total annual water flows of all the six rivers emanating from the Kashmir region and flowing to different parts of the sub-continent. India on its part has made this imbalance worse by failing to create the capacity to use or store the waters in the rivers allotted to it, so that Pakistan is also receiving the surplus flows of water in the three eastern rivers allocated exclusively to India.Pakistan has mismanaged its water economy even more than India. It receives an annual average of 139 MAF of water, which should be enough to meet its genuine needs. But its lower riparian state, Sindh, is deprived of adequate water due largely to the usurping of a larger-than-due share of water by the politically and militarily dominant state of Punjab. There is also mismanagement of water in Pakistan’s extensive but dilapidated canal network. Pakistan needs to realise, therefore, that escalation of tension with India on the water issue will achieve nothing, and could even prove counter-productive.

 

[ajtr]

This is how things are working in Pakistan, regarding the Indus water. The news "Pak won't object to Indian projects on Indus - India - ibnlive"was not published in any major news papers.

But today Dawn has this

India violating Indus water treaty: FO
Thursday, 03 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD: India is committing severe violation of the Indus water treaty, stated the Foreign Office Spokesman, Abdul Basit in a weekly briefing on Thursday.


Pakistan had not received any details of the recent meeting of the Indus water commissioner and it still held reservations about Indo-Pak water issue, he added.

He further said that there were differences between Islamabad and Washington over the drone attacks.

An inquiry commission had been formed by United Nation’s Human Rights council on Pakistan’s request about Israeli aggression on the Freedom Flotilla. The commission will start its investigation soon, Basit stated.

Answering a question about the Pakistan-India dialogue, he said that both nations still felt a lack of trust but Pakistan hoped peace could be fostered in the region.—DawnNews

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | India violating Indus water treaty: FO

and the Nation went like this

Nothing conceded to India: Pak
Published: June 03, 2010

LAHORE (APP) - Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said Wednesday that Pakistan had not conceded anything to India during Delhi water talks.
Talking to media at Lahore Airport on arrival from Indian capital, he said that India had allayed Pakistan’s apprehension about the design of Chutak and Uri-II hydro projects being executed by India over Indus and Jhelum rivers in the occupied Kashmir. About these projects India will provide more information to Pakistan within one week, he said, adding in case of Indian failure to do so Pakistan would use its right to go to International arbitration court or engage neutral experts. He said Pakistan has still objections about the design of Nimoo Bazgo hydro power project.

Nothing conceded to India: Pak | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

I am wondering how long is Lahore from Islamabad? Is Syed Jamat Ali Shah from Pakistan? Does he and Abdul Basit work for Pakistan goverment?

The Nation is right when it says nothing conceded to to india coz to concede something you have to possess that first.

 

[ajtr]

Ebb and flow​

''A bilateral resolution is the best way.''

It is rare to see India and Pakistan amicably resolving their disputes, but the three-day meeting of the Permanent Indus Water Commission last week stood out for its success in addressing some contentious issues about the the flow of water from India to Pakistan.

The complaints were from Pakistan and most of them were resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. The disputes which were resolved related to India’s Baglihar dam and the Uri-II and Chutak projects. Pakistan had lost its case over Baglihar in the World Bank, which is the adjudicating authority under the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, when the bank’s neutral authority upheld the Indian position. After that no substantial issue of dispute remained. The Indian designs of Uri-II and Chutak projects were accepted by Pakistan after explanations from the Indian side. What remained unresolved on the agenda was the difference over the design of the Nomoo Bazgo project on the Indus in Leh. If the trend of talks is an indication, it can be resolved at the meeting to be held later this month or next month.

The Indus Water Treaty has provided a good basis for resolving disputes between the two countries. Though questions have been raised about the rationale of allocating rivers instead of water between the countries, the treaty has stood the test of time till now. Under it the three west-flowing rivers — Indus, Chenab and Jhelum — were allocated to Pakistan and the three east-flowing rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutluj — were allocated to India. There is a view in India that New Delhi should demand a review of the treaty as it does not take into consideration the quantum of water flow or the requirements of the command areas. But this does not seem to be possible and even necessary, and might only add to acrimony.

The main water dispute which needs to be resolved is the one over Kishanganga. Pakistan has objected to this power project on the Jhelum in the Jammu region on the argument that the power plant will obstruct the flow of water to that country. The argument is not tenable after India changed the original design and made it a run-of the river project. It is possible that there may be adjudication on the dispute as in the case of the Baglihar dam. A bilateral resolution is the best way, though the Indus Water Commission feels that the dispute is not within its jurisdiction.

 

[ajtr]

The issue now is pollution by India of the Pakistani rivers​

India and Pakistan are usually bickering over the quantity of water received from Kashmir rivers, however they will soon have to lock horns on the issue of quality of this water as well, as a team of experts has found proof that a major lake that supplies water to the River Jehlum is becoming more and more contaminated.

A survey carried out by a non-government organisation (NGO) in Indian-held Kashmir’s (IHK) Wullar Lake has found large quantities of deadly methane gas in the reservoir.

Experts from the Kashmir Environmental Protection Coordination Organisation (KEPCO) also found high levels of chemicals in the River Jehlum due to the flow of millions of tonnes of solid waste, garbage and sewage into the river.

Wullar Lake, which was once Asia’s largest fresh water reservoir, is situated between Sopore and Bandipura, and is considered the “water-bank” for the Pakistani Punjab, as it supplies water to the River Jehlum.

KEPCO Spokesman Dr Taha Mubashir told reporters in Srinagar that his team had found gas bubbles catching fire as they rose from the lake in many places.

Earlier, local fishermen had informed the NGO about the gas bubbling up from the lake. “In the past, the bubbles would emanate from just one spot, however lately they have been seen in many places,” said Mubashir.

While some experts believe the gas is produced by normal biological processes, others point out that it is a sign of rising contamination levels. They have accused authorities of ignoring the lake, which is a vital source of water supply for the Mangla Dam.

A few years ago, a similar report prepared by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) had highlighted sedimentation, sewage disposal and excessive willow plantation in the area. The report warned that due to these activities, the lake’s ecosystem had entered a dangerous phase, as it stimulated the growth of aquatic plants that reduced oxygen levels in the water.

Lake shrinking: Though the Wetland Directory published by the Indian government puts the lake area at 189 square kilometres, the Survey of India maps show its area at no more than 58.7 square kilometres. The state revenue records, however put the lake’s area at 130 square kilometres, of which around 60 square kilometres is under agricultural use. Experts, however, believe the lake has shrunk from the original area of 200 square kilometres to barely 24 square kilometres now.

Moreover, a scientific study on the River Jehlum has found its waters turning more and more acidic. According to the study, there is gradual increase of sodium and potassium, sulphates, nitrates, nitrogen containing substances, and iron in water as it moves downstream, but at the same time massive depletion of essential chlorides.

Experts maintain this is a result of the millions of tonnes of solid waste, municipal garbage, sewage from human settlements that flows into the river daily.

A research scholar at Department of Environmental Sciences at University of Kashmir has found that 525 to 575 cubic metres of solid waste from Srinagar is drained into the river.

While, a survey conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir State Pollution Control Board (JKPCB) had earlier also found high levels of chemical oxygen demand in the River Jehlum.

Wullar lake which provides water to jhelum river in pakistan has diminished a lot overtime.Thats the other purpose of kishenganga dam india wants to divert jhelum waters to wullar lake to recharge it there by bringing it to life again.For that lake has to have gated outflow design.Its only for navigational purpose which is allowed under IWT.Now pakistan disputes that gated design on wullar lake allows india to control water flow to pakistan jhelum river hence the are complaining about kishenganga project and planning to take it to court of arbitration like baglihar case which they lost.Even for baglihar they protested about gated spillway (the purpose of which was to control silt into the dam,,,IIRC pakistan's Tarbela and mangla suffers from silt from reducing its water holding capacity due to its old design).so now they are complaining about pollution .they can't ve their cake and eat it too.either allow kishenganga or they must stop complaining about pollution.

second mistake pakistan commonly does is by misleading its people that whole of western river(chenab,jhelum,indus) waters is its.but its no so according to IWT idnia has its own share of storage,for domestic and agriculture use and for navigational use on western rivers.BTW IWT allows whole share of eastern rivers(sutlej,ravi,vyas) waters to india.pakistan has no rights over eastern rivers waters.Thats indian leadership foolishness that they have not constructed enough storage and diversion canals on eastern rivers so for the past 60 years 3MAF of water goes to pakistan from eastern rivers every year.

IWT is 80:20 in favor of pakistan ie pakistan gets 80% of indus basin waters while india gets 20% only even in its 20% share india doesn't use it fully rest of the water flows to pakistan.You can call this as stupidity of all the indian leadership from past that it has allowed pakistan to created unjust water problem due to it pandering to pakistan under various peace processes like Lahore declaration or Aman ki asha tamasha,india always give into pakistan's tantrums like they 've recently suffered on two dams.
Wrt pollution in river water Here is what the IWT states in Article IV:

(10) Each Party declares its intention to prevent, as far as practicable undue pollution of the waters of the Rivers which might affect adversely uses similar in nature to those to which the waters were put on the Effective Date, and agrees to take all reasonable measures to ensure that, before any sewage or industrial waste is allowed to flow into the Rivers, it will be treated., where necessary, in such manner as not materially to affect those uses : Provided that the criterion of reasonableness shall be the customary practice in similar situations on the Rivers.

While pollution *must* be tackled, it is strange that Pakistan which has one of the most polluted set of waterbodies in Asia, leading to various diseases such as Hepatitis, gastroenteritis on a very large scale, is raising this issue without taking any action at all within its country to control pollution.

 

[ajtr]

Resolving the water crisis​

Friday, June 11, 2010
Humayun Akhtar Khan

In the early 1960s, the water table had risen to surface level in many areas of Pakistan, causing water logging and salinity. The government countered the menace by increasing the use of groundwater through tube wells. Pakistan is threatened by a water crisis once again, this time in a different sense.

One of the most water-stressed countries in the world, Pakistan faces a situation threatening to into grave water shortage. Direct rainfall contributes less than 15 per cent of supply of water to crops. Of the cultivatable areas of almost 77 million acres (MA), only 36 MA are canal-irrigated. Pakistan has the additional potential of bringing about 22.5 MA of fallow land under irrigation.

An average of 35.2 million acre feet (MAF) of water escapes beyond Kotri every year, mostly in the rainy season. With their flow patterns variable, Pakistan's rivers have higher discharges in summer and lower discharges in winter. Pakistan's dependence on a single river system means that it has fewer choices than countries with a multiplicity of water sources. Therefore, construction of additional water storage facilities is critical for the conservation and utilisation of water.

By 2013, Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma, which are rapidly losing their storage capacities because of sedimentation, will have lost almost one-third of their original potentials. This virtually means loss of one mega-reservoir. Creation of more reservoirs is an absolute essential also if Pakistan is to meet the additional allocations required under the 1991 Water Accord between the provinces.

Groundwater, which now accounts for almost half of all our irrigation requirements, is now overexploited in many areas and its quality is deteriorating. There is an urgent need to develop policies and approaches for bringing water withdrawal into balance with recharge.

Climate change is affecting the western Himalayas more seriously than the other mountain systems of the world. In the next few decades, global warming will increase river flows. These, together with more rainfall, are going to worsen the problems of flooding and drainage, particularly in Sindh. Then, after the glaciers have melted, there are likely to be serious decreases in river flows.

Pakistan has invested massively in its water infrastructure, which is crumbling because there was little investment in its maintenance. Apart from what the taxpayer contributes, development money is scarce because users of canal water pay a very small portion of the cost involved in the infrastructure being kept in a good state of repair.

The solution to Pakistan's water problems has two aspects: how the country can utilise its own potential, and how its potential can be affected by India.

In accordance with the Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India in 1960 under the auspices of the World Bank, Pakistan receives unrestricted use of the western rivers: Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. India was allowed exclusive rights to use the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Bias. The replacement works required by Pakistan as a result of this treaty involved two major dams, five barrages and eight link canals.

However, the treaty also allows India to tap the hydroelectric power potential of the Chenab and Jhelum rivers before they enter Pakistan, with the stipulation that the quantity of water reaching Pakistan, and the natural timing of the inflow, not be affected. Timing is an important issue because Pakistan's agriculture depends also on the water's availability during the sowing season.

One of the treaty restrictions on India is the limit on the amount of storage for its hydroelectric projects on the Chenab and Jhelum, and the amount is an element which can affect the timing of the rivers' flow into Pakistan. The restriction is losing its significance as a result of Baghliar Dam.

The treaty restriction on storage also required that India not build gates for flushing silt out of its dams. This meant that any Indian dam on the Chenab and the Jhelum rapidly fills with silt. India used this feature as an argument in favour of Baghliar Dam before the Neutral Expert appointed by the World Bank. Deciding in favour of Pakistan on three issues, the Neutral Expert ruled in favour of India on the fourth: building of gates. Pakistan is thus left without a mechanism for protection against manipulation of flows by India. When India chose to fill Baghliar it did that exactly at a time when the filling caused the maximum damage to Pakistani farmers.

Baghliar is not the only dam India has built on Chenab and Jhelum. India has commissioned 11 projects on the Chenab and is considering 74 projects on the Jhelum. Another crisis in the making is the Kishanganga hydroelectric project on the Neelum River in India. The average flow of Neelum water will drop by 21 per cent in Pakistan, which will not only cause energy losses amounting to billions of rupees but also serious environmental damage. In due course, India will have the ability to damage Pakistan's resources.

Two things should be done immediately: the World Bank arbitration process should be reactivated, and the pace of work at Neelum-Jhelum should be significantly increased. India is already doing that at the Kishanganga project.

Pakistan's water issues with India are about as important as the resolution of the Kashmir problem. In fact, the two are interlinked. Therefore, the resolution of the water issue should be part and parcel of any process of normalisation between India and Pakistan. Pakistan has to invest soon in new large dams. WAPDA's Vision 2025 should be pursued on a priority basis, under which four storage reservoirs, Yugo, Skardu, Basha and Kalabagh, are planned. One storage is urgently needed merely to make up for the dams' capacities lost to sedimentation.

As for the years beyond 2025, Pakistan should start focusing on other storage sites. There are many on the Indus and the Jhelum and off-channel. There are also hundreds of small and medium storage sites in all the four provinces, work on which must be pursued. At the same time, the enormous backlog of maintenance work on our water infrastructure must be taken in hand.

Lack of transparency and trust has made the discussion of large dams a very difficult process in Pakistan. Amazingly, in most countries of the world, the lower riparian is the greater beneficiary of new storages. Sometimes lower riparian regions pay for upstream storage.

In order to build confidence once again, there needs to be a totally transparent and verifiable implementation of the 1991 Accord and sufficient water needs to be guaranteed to the delta. Large investments are also required for those who do not have water and sanitation services in Pakistan's cities, towns and villages. Pakistan also needs to invest in making its municipal and industrial wastewater usable. Principles have to be defined on how the cost of water infrastructure should be distributed between the taxpayer and the user.

In the last two years the PSDP has been cut by hundreds of billions of rupees. Rather than cutting other huge expenditures, Pakistan cuts the PSDP to achieve IMF-dictated fiscal targets. So where will the money come from for all these water projects is a big question mark.



The writer is secretary general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and a former federal minister. Email: huakhan@ gmail.com

 

[ajtr]

Can't redraw border but can make it irrelevant: Rao

Flaying Pakistan’s “water” propaganda, Rao said, “The myth of water theft does not stand the test of rational scrutiny or reason. India has never sought to deny Pakistan its fair share of the Indus waters.” But in a sign that New Delhi wants to be “reasonable” and “forward looking”, India offered to set up another bilateral mechanism to share “best practices” in water utilisation and irrigation. It might give Pakistan a face-saver on the water issue.

[/quote]

 

[blueoval79]

Pak should build dams instead of wasting time talking to India over water

Lahore, June 15: Pakistan Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has said that the government is wasting its time by holding talks with India over the Indus Water Treaty issues.

Addressing the media after a committee meeting, Fazlur said that India prolonged the dialogue process on the water issue and constructed the Baglihar Dam by buying time in contravention of the Indus Basin Treaty.

He further urged the Pakistan government to construct small dams in line with the treaty, as the country is currently suffering a daily shortfall of 200000-acre feet water.

“In order to compensate the loss caused by decline in water flows from Kashmir, water reservoirs should be constructed,” The Nation quoted Fazlur, as saying.

“It will not only help meet water needs, but also impart momentum to power generation pace,” he added.

Fazlur also said that the committee has directed the Ministry of Water and Power to form a think tank under the Indus Basin Treaty, comprising leading professionals who would present proposals to the government on the issue.

Pak should build dams instead of wasting time talking to India over water: Fazlur | World News

 

[ajtr]

Swiss, Slovak experts to represent India in Kishanganga dispute​

Gargi Parsai
NEW DELHI: India has decided to nominate a sitting judge of the International Court of Justice at Geneva and a Swiss international law expert to represent it in the Kishanganga project dispute with Pakistan.

The names of Peter Tomka, a Slovak diplomat who is the Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, and Lucius Caflisch, a professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, were finalised on Tuesday pending their formal acceptance.

On the selection, the government consulted, among others, eminent lawyers R.K.P. Shankar Dass and Fali Nariman, who represented India in 2006-07 in the dispute with Pakistan on the Baglihar dam on the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan has already named Bruno Simma, also of the International Court of Justice, and Jan Paulsson, Norwegian head of an international law firm, as its arbitrators in the Court of Arbitration that will be set up to resolve its differences with India under the bilateral Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.

India is constructing the 330-MW hydroelectric project on the Kishanganga, a tributary of the Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi maintains that it is within its rights, under the treaty, to divert Kishanganga waters to the Bonar Madmati Nallah, another tributary of the Jhelum, which falls into the Wullar Lake before joining the Jhelum again.

Pakistan has objected to this, saying India's plan to divert waters causes obstruction to the flow of the Kishanganga. It has also raised objection to the depletion of dead storage in the run of the Kishanganga project.

As far as India is concerned, the issue was settled by the neutral expert on the Baglihar project. Islamabad had invoked the provisions of the treaty to resolve design differences in the Baglihar project by approaching the neutral expert. Under the treaty, a request for arbitration must contain a statement explaining the dispute, the nature of relief sought and the names of the arbitrators appointed. The date on which the request is received by the other party shall be deemed the date on which the proceedings are instituted. Unless otherwise agreed, the Court of Arbitration shall consist of seven arbitrators, of whom three may be called umpires. The chairman would be chosen from among them.

India has to send its response on Kishanganga arbitration to Pakistan within 30 days of its receiving the request for setting up a Court of Arbitration. Sources said the request was received on May 18 and the reply must be sent by June 17.

 

[amigos]

Interesting!

 

[Ras]

Its long term strategy develop by India, because India is afraid if it lost Kashmir then Pakistan might shut off the water or divert the water flow toward it land. Kashmir demographic is changing, Muslim population is increasing at rabbit pace. Eventually India will need to take bitter pill on this matter, so its better to do some written agreement.

Last I heard...the Kashmir separatist leaders were yelling that the Muslim population is falling because of migration from outside.The dams are used to give water and electricity to even the Indian Kashmir population so why will the locals want to give more water to Punjab,Sindh etc?

The fact is that the water level is low for all rivers and there was report which came out recently which said that the Indus and the Brahmaputra are going to be severally affected by global warming.This means Pakistan,Eastern India and Bangladesh will be affected. Fortunately all these regions are near the sea and the sea has a lot of water so desalination plants should be immediately set up.