The gates of the Salal Dam in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district have been partially opened, following recent conflict-related water management decisions by the Indian government. The dam, built on the Chenab River, had its gates closed after the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
On Friday morning, one of the gates was opened, possibly to manage rising water levels. The Baglihar Dam in the Ramban district had its gates opened earlier on 8 May, following heavy rainfall that threatened to cause flooding.
The decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, which governs the sharing of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan, remains in place despite recent moves towards a cessation of hostilities.
Also read: Indus Treaty on hold until Pak stops terror, says Jaishankar
The treaty, signed in 1960, allocates the waters of the eastern rivers – Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas – to India, while Pakistan has rights to the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, with India allowed limited non-consumptive use.
The Indus system, one of the largest in the world, includes the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers, and its basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan, with smaller shares for China and Afghanistan.
Under the treaty, India has constructed several major storage projects, including the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, Pong and Pandoh dams on the Beas, and the Thein (Ranjitsagar) Dam on the Ravi, allowing it to utilise most of the waters of the eastern rivers.
During a recent address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as part of India's robust counter-terrorism policy, following the Pahalgam terror attack. "After the surgical strike in 2016 and the air strike in 2019, now Operation Sindoor is India's policy against terrorism," he said. Referring to the decision, Modi added, "Water and blood cannot flow together."
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