India has halted the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and is reportedly considering similar actions at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, according to a source familiar with the developments.
Both dams are strategically significant and provide India with the capacity to control the timing of water discharges into downstream areas.
The Baglihar Dam, located in Ramban district of Jammu, and the Kishanganga Dam, situated in north Kashmir, have long been critical components of India’s hydroelectric infrastructure.
Their ability to regulate water flow gives India leverage in managing river resources shared with Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of whom were tourists.
In response to the attack, India appears to be reevaluating its commitments under the long-standing Indus Waters Treaty.
On Sunday, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the security situation, following a similar meeting between the prime minister and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi the previous day.
These high-level consultations reflect the seriousness with which the Indian government is addressing the escalating regional tensions.
Signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty has served as a framework for water sharing between India and Pakistan for over six decades.
However, India’s recent move to block or regulate water flows from the Baglihar and Kishanganga dams signals a potential shift in policy, especially in light of continued cross-border terrorism.
The Baglihar Dam has been a contentious issue in Indo-Pak relations for years, prompting Pakistan to seek intervention from the World Bank in the past.
Meanwhile, the Kishanganga Dam has also drawn legal and diplomatic challenges, particularly over concerns about its impact on the Neelum River, a tributary of the Jhelum that flows into Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
As diplomatic tensions continue to rise, India’s control over these crucial water resources could become a central point of contention between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
