Both the State and Centre hydropower projects during winter generate around 600 MW, significantly lower than their installed capacity of 3500 MW owing to the depletion in water levels in the rivers.
As the Union government put Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance as part of its diplomatic measures against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, the spotlight has again turned to the Jammu and Kashmir’s historic stance against the treaty.
On April 25, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the treaty as the most unfair document, saying it was never in favour of Jammu and Kashmir.
The 1961 treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank, is frequently seen as unfair to Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the treaty, Pakistan got full rights to use the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while India was given the waters of the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers.
All the three Pakistan rivers flow through Jammu and Kashmir, yet the region is stripped of the right to store their water. Undivided Jammu and Kashmir was permitted to store only 3.6 million acre-feet (MAF) of water from all the three rivers with 0.40 MAF from Indus in Ladakh, 1.50 MAF from Jhelum in Kashmir and 1.70 MAF from the Chenab in Jammu.
As the treaty bars J&K to use the water resources to optimum, it has consistently drawn criticism from the region’s political class and industry.
In 2002, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution calling for the termination of treaty.
Senior CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami told businessline that Jammu and Kashmir is part of the Indus Waters Treaty because it is part of the country, and therefore, the region should be compensated for the losses incurred. However, he said, that suspending or terminating the treaty is not a viable solution.
Shahnawaz Hussain, a Valley based political analyst said that the treaty is discriminatory in nature vis-a-vis Jammu and Kashmir
“Under the provisions of treaty, J&K government has to seek permission from the Indus Water Commission before any water development programme is initiated regarding these rivers”, said Hussain.
Heavy losses
As the treaty allows only run of water hydropower projects, it brings heavy losses to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to a report published in 2005 by International Water Management Institute (IWMA), Colombo in collaboration with Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai, IWT puts Jammu and Kashmir behind an estimate loss of ₹6,500 crore annually.
Both the State and Centre hydropower projects during winter generate around 600 MW, significantly lower than their installed capacity of 3,500 MW owing to the depletion of water levels in the rivers.
Published on April 30, 2025