In a notable suggestion, a parliamentary panel on Thursday has asked the government to renegotiate the Indus Water Treaty(IWT) with Pakistan, observing that crucial issues like climate change, global warming and environmental impact assessment are absent from the pact that divides the Indus Basin waters.
The standing committee on water resources said the treaty was framed on the basis of knowledge and technology existing in 1960 when the perspective of both nations was merely confined to river management and usage of water through the construction of dams, barrages, canals and hydropower generation.
Any recommendation of “renegotiating” the IWT is seen in a political aspect and is not likely to be welcomed in Pakistan. Even though India has not moved to change it, PM Narendra Modi had accepted proposals to further develop the use of India’s share after border tensions with Pakistan in his first term as PM.
“There is a need to renegotiate the treaty to establish an institutional structure or legislative framework to address the impact of climate change on water availability and other challenges which are not covered under the Treaty,” said the panel, headed by BJP Lok Sabha member Sanjay Jaiswal.
The committee on Thursday tabled its report on flood management in the country by numerous measures including international water treaties and agreements with Pakistan, China and Bhutan.
The Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan for the distribution of waters of the Indus Basin. In accordance with the treaty, the total quantity of waters of the eastern rivers-Sutlej, Beas and Ravi is allotted to India for unrestricted use while the waters of western rivers-Indus, Jhelum and Chenab is allocated mainly to Pakistan. India is though, allowed to use the water of the western rivers for domestic use, irrigation and generation of hydroelectricity but India has not been completely using its legal share.
The panel, in consideration of this proposal that the government should look into the feasibility of making the most use of the provisions of the Treaty with regard to “full utilization of all accessible water of the eastern rivers and maximum utilization of the irrigation and hydropower potential of western rivers including permissible water storage as per the provisions”.
It also urged the government to complete projects like Ujh in Jammu Kashmir and Shahpur Kandi in Punjab instantly in order to “exploit the full potential of the western rivers for irrigation and other purposes. “These multipurpose projects are meant for hydroelectric power, irrigation and drinking.
Though India according to the IWT has the right to create water capacity storage up to 3.6 million acre-feet (MAF) on western rivers, no storage capacity has, until now, been created by the country. Also, out of the estimated power potential of about 20,000 MW, which could be harnessed from western rivers power projects, only 3,482 MW capacity of hydroelectric power generation units has been constructed so far.