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The Indian High Commission in Islamabad communicated the potential flood in Tawi Ravi in Jammu to Pakistani authorities on August 24
Being a lower riparian state, Pakistan is heavily dependent for water on India-controlled rivers—particularly the Jhelum and Chenab flowing through Jammu & Kashmir. (PTI/Representative image)
India has alerted Pakistan about the potential flood in the Tawi River even as the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains in abeyance, according to multiple Pakistani media reports. This is the first major contact between the two neighbours since the military conflict in May.
The Indian High Commission in Islamabad communicated the possibility of a flood situation in the Tawi Ravi in Jammu to Pakistani authorities on August 24, Geo News reported. India’s goodwill gesture has prompted warnings by Pakistan.
India kept the six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance after Pakistan-backed terrorists carried out an attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, leaving 26 people dead.
In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “blood and water won’t flow together,” referencing the Indus Waters Treaty and the country’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism.
The Prime Minister also criticised the Indus Waters Treaty as “unjust and unreasonable,” suggesting that India may reconsider its obligations under the agreement if Pakistan continues to support terrorism.
The treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries. The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus River and its tributaries equitably between the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers—Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej—was allocated to India, and that from the three western rivers—Chenab, Indus, and Jhelum—to Pakistan. The treaty also permits both countries to use the other’s rivers for certain purposes, such as small hydroelectric projects that require little or no water storage.
India has said that the agreement will remain in abeyance until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible steps to stop supporting terrorism. On the other hand, Islamabad said “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” will be an “act of war”.
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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