Explained: India, Pakistan’s key water-sharing talks | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan are holding Indus Water Treaty talks after a gap of over two years and are set to discuss a host of issues, including the neighbouring country’s objections to the design of Indian hydropower projects on Chenab river.
Ahead of the talks, an Indian official told Reuters that prospects of a breakthrough between the two countries are low.
Here’s all you need to know …
The current dispute
Pakistan is concerned that India’s plans for Pakal Dal and Lower Kalnai hydroelectric plants in Jammu & Kashmir will damage the flow of the river, which feeds 80% of its irrigated agriculture, along with tributaries.
India has defended the construction of the dams, saying they are allowed by the Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank.
Under the provisions of Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the water of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually — is allocated to India for unrestricted use.
The waters of western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.
According to the Treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. The Treaty also gives right to Pakistan to raise objections on design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.
Kishanganga project
Pakistan has also raised objections to the building of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric plants by India, saying that they violates the provisions of the treaty.
India insists on its right to build these projects and hold that their design is fully in compliance with the guidelines of the treaty.
The Kishanganga project had been in operation since 2018 while work on Ratle stands abandoned since 2014 due to a contractual dispute between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the contractor.
After prolonged negotiations, India in 2016 sought appointment of a neutral expert to resolve this issue while Pakistan made a request for appointment of a Court of Arbitration (COA).
In November 2019, after a meeting of the Indian delegation headed by Jal Shakti Ministry secretary with the World Bank to explore a way forward, it was agreed that the matter may be discussed by the two commissioners as per the Treaty provisions to decide the mode of resolution – by the CoA or a neutral expert.
The World Bank initially proceeded with both the process of appointment of a neutral expert and constituting the Court of Arbitration but later, in December 2016, it instituted a ‘pause’ on both the processes to allow the two parties to bilaterally choose one option with the help of its good offices, sources said.
Under the Treaty, the World Bank only has a procedural role and there is no provision for the global financial institution to take an independent decision in this regard.
The pause is still continuing.
Other issues
The Indian delegation is being led by PK Saxena who will be joined by his advisors from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.
The Pakistan delegation is led by its Indus Commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah. The delegation arrived here on Monday evening.
This year’s meeting will be the first between the two commissioners after the August 2019 nullification of the operative provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The erstwhile state was also carved into two union territories — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
India has since cleared several hydropower projects for the region.
Of these, Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) are in Leh; while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.
India had informed Pakistan about the projects. The issue is expected to come up for discussion during the meeting.
Why meeting wasn’t held last year
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) warrants the two commissioners to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
However, last year’s meeting scheduled to be held New Delhi in March was cancelled, a first since the Treaty came into being, in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, India had proposed to Pakistan that the meeting for discussing pending issues pertaining to Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) be held virtually in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but Pakistan insisted on holding talks at the Attari check post.
However, in response, India said it is not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari Joint Check Post due to the pandemic. With the improvement in situation, this mandatory meeting is being held with all Covid-19 related protocols.
The last meeting took place in Lahore in August 2018.
Thaw in ties?
The meeting also comes at a time when both the nations are taking cautious steps towards improving ties, which have been on a decline over the last few years.
Ahead of the talks, an Indian official told Reuters that prospects of a breakthrough between the two countries are low.
Here’s all you need to know …
The current dispute
Pakistan is concerned that India’s plans for Pakal Dal and Lower Kalnai hydroelectric plants in Jammu & Kashmir will damage the flow of the river, which feeds 80% of its irrigated agriculture, along with tributaries.
India has defended the construction of the dams, saying they are allowed by the Indus Water Treaty brokered by the World Bank.
Under the provisions of Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the water of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually — is allocated to India for unrestricted use.
The waters of western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — amounting to around 135 MAF annually has been assigned largely to Pakistan.
According to the Treaty, India has been given the right to generate hydroelectricity through run of the river projects on the western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. The Treaty also gives right to Pakistan to raise objections on design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.
Kishanganga project
Pakistan has also raised objections to the building of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric plants by India, saying that they violates the provisions of the treaty.
India insists on its right to build these projects and hold that their design is fully in compliance with the guidelines of the treaty.
The Kishanganga project had been in operation since 2018 while work on Ratle stands abandoned since 2014 due to a contractual dispute between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the contractor.
After prolonged negotiations, India in 2016 sought appointment of a neutral expert to resolve this issue while Pakistan made a request for appointment of a Court of Arbitration (COA).
In November 2019, after a meeting of the Indian delegation headed by Jal Shakti Ministry secretary with the World Bank to explore a way forward, it was agreed that the matter may be discussed by the two commissioners as per the Treaty provisions to decide the mode of resolution – by the CoA or a neutral expert.
The World Bank initially proceeded with both the process of appointment of a neutral expert and constituting the Court of Arbitration but later, in December 2016, it instituted a ‘pause’ on both the processes to allow the two parties to bilaterally choose one option with the help of its good offices, sources said.
Under the Treaty, the World Bank only has a procedural role and there is no provision for the global financial institution to take an independent decision in this regard.
The pause is still continuing.
Other issues
The Indian delegation is being led by PK Saxena who will be joined by his advisors from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.
The Pakistan delegation is led by its Indus Commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah. The delegation arrived here on Monday evening.
This year’s meeting will be the first between the two commissioners after the August 2019 nullification of the operative provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The erstwhile state was also carved into two union territories — Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
India has since cleared several hydropower projects for the region.
Of these, Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) are in Leh; while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.
India had informed Pakistan about the projects. The issue is expected to come up for discussion during the meeting.
Why meeting wasn’t held last year
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) warrants the two commissioners to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
However, last year’s meeting scheduled to be held New Delhi in March was cancelled, a first since the Treaty came into being, in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
In July 2020, India had proposed to Pakistan that the meeting for discussing pending issues pertaining to Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) be held virtually in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but Pakistan insisted on holding talks at the Attari check post.
However, in response, India said it is not conducive to hold the meeting at the Attari Joint Check Post due to the pandemic. With the improvement in situation, this mandatory meeting is being held with all Covid-19 related protocols.
The last meeting took place in Lahore in August 2018.
Thaw in ties?
The meeting also comes at a time when both the nations are taking cautious steps towards improving ties, which have been on a decline over the last few years.
Bloomberg news agency and Foreign Policy magazine have reported that the United Arab Emirates, with whom both India and Pakistan have close ties, may have played a role in secret efforts to achieve a detente.
Last month, India and Pakistan announced a rare agreement to stop firing on the bitterly-contested Kashmir border, which Bloomberg said was also the result of UAE-brokered talks.
(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)
