India’s strategic strike on Pakistan’s lifeline

The waters of the Indus and its tributaries have long represented Pakistan’s strategic vulnerability. After an outrageous attack on civilian tourists in Pahalgam, the Indian Cabinet Security Council (CCS) decided to withdraw from the Indian Water Treaty (IWT) as both appropriate and appropriate.

The IWT, which was signed in 1960 for six years under the United Nations Aegis, divided the waters of the six Himalayas into a 30:70 ratio between India and India and Pakistan.

India’s decision at the time was a grand act. Few countries are willing to share such important strategic resources (Freshwater) with their hostile neighbors. Unfortunately, Pakistan has not expressed gratitude for the gesture. Instead, it sees this arrangement as a right while cultivating terrorism in Indian soil. Under the Prime Minister, the CCS’s decision is intended to convey a clear message to Pakistan: such engagement will no longer be tolerated.

India’s withdrawal from the IWT has sent shockwaves in Pakistan, especially in its agricultural communities, who are now facing a grim possibility like famine in the coming months. But while the move attempts to punish opponents, it also provides India with a unique opportunity to secure and optimize its water resources.

According to the treaty, the Six Rivers are classified as Eastern (Sutlej, Ravi and Beas) and Western (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) rivers. India’s current 30% stake provides it with 33 million acres (MAF) of water, while Pakistan has acquired 135 MAF (equivalent to about 165 billion cubic meters or BCM). If India prevents the flow of this water within its territory, it can be used in a number of ways to strengthen national infrastructure and reduce dependence on the volatile nature of the southwestern monsoon.

First, this residual water can be used to establish mini and micro-hydrogen projects in the mountainous areas, thereby increasing power generation in Jamu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Second, the eastern rivers can be linked to other rivers on the plains, especially those that encounter water scarce in winter, which is a spacious network of canals. This mutual linkage will greatly benefit monsoon-dependent countries and water-scarce areas, thereby significantly increasing agricultural productivity.

India’s growing population, urbanization and industrialization are putting huge pressure on freshwater resources that are already facing depletion and degradation. Water security is crucial to the social and economic development of India, especially when the state supports 17% of the world’s population. The National Integrated Water Resources Development Commission estimates that demand for irrigation water will rise from 611 BCM in 2025 to 807 BCM in 2050. Groundwater alone can only contribute about 217.61 BCM, making river and canal resources crucial. The availability of 164 BCM from the Indus system will greatly reduce the country’s dependence on the monsoon.

To effectively utilize the waters of the Indus River, Jhelum and Chenab, India can explore the construction of long pipe systems such as the proposed jhelum-yamuna and chenab-ganga link canals. Historical precedents for such a massive water management project exist. For example, China’s Grand Canal (built during the 13th century renminbi dynasty) expanded 1,776 kilometers and connected five major rivers, connecting Beijing to the north and Hangzhou to the south. The Karakum Canal in Turkmenistan is an irrigation canal that irrigates 1,445 km, transported from the Amu Darya River in the Karakum Desert to Ashgabat. The Indian own Indira Gandhi Canal near home starts in Harike, where Sutlej and Beas converge, providing irrigation for the approximately 788 km of Thar desert.

Although governments may have various plans to effectively utilize this water, a coordinated strategic approach must be adopted. A comprehensive canal network supported by hydroelectric power plants could transform the Jamu, Kashmir and Ladakhs into electric dismantling areas and provide important relief to farmers in central India, Rajasthan and southern states.

Now is the time to act. With proper planning and infrastructure development, India can gain the benefits of these measures over the next two decades, thus ensuring long-term water and energy security across the country.

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