PM Modi hints at new Indus waters strategy, putting it in abeyance not a knee-jerk reaction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that after putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, India is resolved to use the river system more robustly, adding that the previously “badly negotiated” terms of the deal did not allow the country to use its fair share of the resource.

He said, “I would like to tell the younger generation how this country was ruined. A closer look at IWT will leave you shocked. It was decided that the dams built on the rivers of J&K would not be cleaned. Desilting would not be done. The lower gates for clearing sediments were to remain shut. For 60 years, these gates were never opened. As a result, the reservoirs could effectively use only 2-3% of their storage capacity.”

His comments came during an address to celebrate 20 years of the ‘Gujarat Urban Growth Story’ when he reiterated that the Cabinet Committee on Security’s (CCS) decision to put IWT in abeyance was taken in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

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“The treaty has merely been put on hold and they (Pakistan) are already sweating profusely. We have opened small gates for cleaning the dams, and there is already a flood there,” PM Modi added.

While Prime Minister Modi had previously stated that reactivating the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would depend on Pakistan ending its support for terrorism, Tuesday marked the first time he delved into specific details.

He cited, for example, a clause that prohibits India from carrying out de-silting and flushing operations in the reservoirs of the Baglihar and Salal run-of-the-river hydro-power projects on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. These dams were constructed fully in line with the 1960 water-sharing agreement.

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Last week, India once again asserted that the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will remain in “abeyance” until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” abjures support to cross-border terrorism, as “water and blood” cannot flow together.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday sought direct talks with India to address all issues, including Kashmir, the Indus Water Treaty and terrorism.

His comments came during a visit to Iran’s capital, Tehran, where the prime minister arrived as part of his four-nation visit. While addressing a joint press conference with the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Sharif said, “We want to resolve all disputes, including the Kashmir issue and the water issue, through negotiations and are also ready to talk to our neighbour on trade and counter-terrorism.”