ISLAMABAD: In a move that Pakistan describes as a deliberate “weaponisation of water,” India has fast-tracked massive hydropower projects on the Chenab River, escalating tensions over the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960.
Officials say New Delhi is aggressively manipulating river flows while building some of the largest dams in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir.
According to highly placed sources, the centrepiece of India’s push is the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydropower Project, which received environmental clearance in October 2025. Located in the Ramban district, this run-of-the-river project will include a 192.5-metre-high dam and an underground powerhouse capable of generating 8,000 million units of electricity annually. Stage I will feature six 225-MW units and one 56 MW unit, followed by two additional 225 MW units in Stage II. The project covers 1,401 hectares, including 847 hectares of forest land, and will displace local communities.
The Sawalkote project, initially approved in 2017, gained momentum in 2025 following India’s controversial announcement to hold the IWT in abeyance—a move Pakistan rejected as illegal and provocative. Analysts warn that the project, along with other mega-schemes, signals India’s intent to assert control over rivers allocated to Pakistan under the treaty.
India has also approved the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II Hydropower Project in the Kishtwar district, increasing pressure on Pakistan’s share of Chenab waters. Existing operational projects on the Chenab include Dulhasti-I (390 MW), Baglihar I & II (890 MW), and Salal (690 MW), while Ratle (850 MW), Kiru (624 MW), and Kwar (540 MW) are under construction. Other major schemes—including Bursar, Pakal Dul, and Kirthai I & II—are in planning or fast-tracking stages.
During the ongoing winter season, India deliberately manipulated river flows, releasing 58,000 cusecs at Head Marala on December 7–8, 2025, before sharply reducing flows to 870–1,000 cusecs on December 13–17. Historical flows for this period typically range between 4,000 and 10,000 cusecs, officials stated.
Pakistan maintains that India violated the IWT by emptying and refilling the Baglihar reservoir—an action previously condemned by the Court of Arbitration on August 8, 2025 as constituting weaponisation of water. Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters, Syed Mehr Ali Shah, confirmed he has formally notified India, citing scientific evidence of deliberate water manipulation and invoking Articles VI and VIII of the treaty to demand immediate consultations.
The tensions trace back to April 23, 2024, when India unilaterally announced it was holding the treaty in abeyance. Pakistan’s National Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, strongly rejected the move, warning that any attempt to block or divert Pakistan’s waters would be considered an act of war.
With mega-dams, manipulated flows, and rising tensions, the Chenab River has become the latest flashpoint in one of South Asia’s most critical water disputes—raising fears of both environmental and geopolitical fallout in the months ahead.
Asim Yasin adds: Vice President Pakistan Peoples Party and parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday strongly condemned India’s approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), terming it a flagrant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
“Under the treaty, Pakistan has control over the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while India retains rights over the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers,” she said in a statement.
Ms Rehman noted that the IWT, which cannot be unilaterally revoked, has been reaffirmed by recent five United Nations rapporteurs as a binding international agreement.
She underscored five different rapporteurs have given their reports and rulings. “All of India’s positions—regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, terrorism, the Pahalgam attack, and human rights were rejected,” he said.
She said India had no standing left in any of these positions. “Nowhere does it appear that they have accepted or endorsed India’s stance. Instead, they have admonished India and clearly stated that what India is doing, it appears to amount to international terrorism.”
Sherry Rehman added that all of India’s responses were found unsatisfactory. “You did not invoke any international charter. You have even placed the Indus Waters Treaty on hold and in abeyance. This is illegal and wrong. Wherever this matter has been discussed, there is clear condemnation regarding India in the report.”
She underscored that following the illegal suspension of the treaty, India has moved to fast-track multiple disputed hydropower projects in the Indus Basin, including Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai-1 and 2.
Senator Rehman warned that the weaponisation of water was neither sane nor acceptable in a region already facing severe climate change impacts and environmental stress.
“Such unilateral actions would further inflame tensions in an already fragile bilateral relationship marked by hostility and distrust,” she said emphasising that respect for the IWT was essential for regional peace, environmental sustainability, and the protection of the rights and livelihoods of millions of people who depend on shared river systems.
