NEW DELHI: A day after India formally communicated to Pakistan that it was keeping Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between the two countries in abeyance, Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday held a meeting on how swiftly the decision could be implemented and finalised a detailed roadmap, including quick desilting of rivers and dams as an immediate step to prevent the flow of river waters to the neighbouring country.
The meeting, attended by Jal Shakti minister C R Paatil and senior officials, is learnt to have discussed implementation modalities in view of creating additional water storage infrastructure and speeding up work on hydro-power projects as medium- and long-term measures so that waters of the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – can be adequately used by India.
Desilting of rivers and dams will be done on priority. It will augment supply of water to the India side, resulting in slightly lesser flow to Pakistan which already faces a deficit of 32% in meeting its irrigation and drinking water needs.
“A roadmap was prepared in the meeting. Three options were discussed. Govt is working on short-term, medium-term and long-term measures so that not even a drop of water goes to Pakistan. Soon, desilting of rivers will be done to stop the water and divert it,” Paatil told the media after the meeting.
At present, India doesn’t have the capacity to store even 3.6 MAF of water on the western rivers, the share which was allowed to it under IWT. Similarly, 3,482 MW capacity of hydro-power generation has been constructed by India out of an estimated power potential of 20,000 MW which can be harnessed from the western rivers. Speeding up work on Kishanganga and Ratle hydro-electric projects will solve the problem to a great extent.
Untapped irrigation potential was one of the key points which drew attention of policymakers, specifically in view of maximising use of water from the western rivers. This potential cannot be tapped unless India increases its storage capacity and redirects surplus flow from J&K to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Work on Tulbul project on Jhelum, suspended since 1986, will help as the accompanying barrage will have a storage capacity of around 0.3 MAF of water.
