THECentreisplanningtoundertake a study to look into ways to maximise the use of the quantumofwaterfromthethreerivers that Pakistan had earlier used under the Indus Water Treaty, nowthattheagreementhasbeen suspended, officials said. The proposal was made at a high-level meeting on Friday chairedbyHomeMinister Amit Shah that discussed the future course of action on the Indus

 

WatersTreatyof1960,whichhas been kept in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. Under the World Bank-brokered treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF). The waterof thewesternrivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- with an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, were largely allocated to Pakistan.

 

With the treaty now put in abeyance, the Government is looking at ways to utilise the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. AfterFriday’shigh-levelmeeting,JalShaktiMinisterCRPaatil asserted that the Government isworkingonastrategy toensure that not a single drop of water flows into Pakistan. He said Prime Minister NarendraModihasissuedaslew of directives, and the meeting was held to follow up on them. Shah made several suggestions at the meeting for their effective implementation. “Wewill ensure thatnot a single drop of water flows into Pakistan from India,” the Jal ShaktiMinisterhadsaidafterthe meeting. Sources said the Government is working on a long-term plan to ensure the effective implementation of its decisions. According to an official, theMinistryhasbeenasked toconductastudy tolookatways to utilise the water from the three western rivers.