India makes Pakistan suffer more, water in bankrupt nation's dams running low after this move by Modi govt, it is...

Pakistan is grappling with a severe water crisis after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the horrific Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Because of this, water levels in major Pakistani dams continue to drop. The Indus Waters Treaty has been in place since 1960. Its suspension has triggered a series of water management measures on the Indian side, leaving Pakistan vulnerable during its crucial kharif (summer) crop season.

Pakistan's Punjab province, where kharif crops are being sown, is already experiencing significantly reduced water supply compared to previous years. This is the time when water demand for agriculture is at its peak. Water levels in Pakistan’s key reservoirs—Mangla on the Jhelum and Tarbela on the Indus—have gone down to near 'dead levels’. Without timely and adequate water releases, Pakistani farmers face the prospect of crop failures and reduced agricultural output, threatening food security and livelihoods.

India’s Strategic Water Management

Following the suspension of the treaty, India has launched a comprehensive plan to maximise its utilisation of the Indus river system. The construction of a 113-kilometer canal designed to divert surplus water from Jammu and Kashmir to the agricultural states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan is one significant move. This canal will connect the Chenab river to the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej system. This will let India make full use of its allocated share of both eastern and western rivers under the original treaty terms.

Additionally, India is actively engaged in short-term measures such as flushing and desilting reservoirs at the Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric projects on the Chenab river. 

With the suspension of the agreement, Pakistani authorities are left in the dark regarding upstream water releases, making it extremely difficult to plan and manage irrigation schedules effectively.