India’s recent move to construct the Shahpur Kandi Barrage on the Ravi River is a flagrant violation of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed with Pakistan. And it has stirred a caul­dron of controversy that threat­ens to spill over into broader regional tensions. As the wa­ters flow, so do the currents of diplomacy, and the ripple effects of this decision have the potential to reshape the land­scape of South Asia. Between these two nuclear states, the Indus Water Treaty is probably the only successful agreement that exists.

Following the completion of this barrage, Pakistan’s previously allo­cated 1150 cubic centimetres of wa­ter would now be beneficial to the In­dian-occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir. 32,000 hectares of land in the Kathua and Samba districts will benefit from the water for “irrigation and for hydropower generation,” but the flow towards Pakistan will be re­stricted. India has built numerous dams thus far, including the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, the Pong and Pan­doh Dam on the Beas, and the Thein (Ranjit sagar) on the Ravi.

Without explicitly rescinding its ob­ligations under the IWT, India has for some years indicated and sent contra­dictory signals. Modi government wrote to Pakistan in January of last year, seek­ing revisions to the treaty under Arti­cle XII (3) of the IWT, which addresses the “final provisions” of the agreement. After Pakistan’s appeal to The Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration........

© The Nation