Why India can't stop Indus water from going to Pakistan like Ravi?
- If we block the Indus in Ladakh and prevent its water from going to Pakistan, China will block the Indus from Tibet itself, so India cannot afford to give that chance.
- India has stopped the fact that the water of Ravi river was wasted going to Pakistan, but now the talk that not even a drop of water from Ravi river will go to Pakistan is wrong. It is not possible as India cannot do so under the Indus Water Treaty. India has built the Shahpur Kandi Dam under the Indus Water Treaty, so Pakistan has no objection to it, but if India blocks the waters of the Indus, Chenab or Jhelum rivers, it will become an international issue. The greater danger is that China may come to the aid of Pakistan and create trouble for India.
India is currently in political upheaval so an important piece of news has not gone unnoticed. According to this report, as India has completed the construction of Shahpur Kandi Barrage on Ravi River, water from Ravi River has completely stopped flowing into Pakistan and not even a single drop of Ravi water will flow into Pakistan. Due to the Shahpur Kandi Barrage built on the border of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, 1150 cusecs of water wasted till now in Pakistan can be used for irrigation in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in India. A total of 1.50 lakh bighas of water will be available for agriculture in these two states. At the same time electricity will also be generated so both the states will benefit greatly.
Shahpur Kandi Barrage Project was completed in 1995 by P.V. Narasimha Rao has therefore completed the scheme after almost three decades. Shahpur Kandi Barrage is not a very big dam that will take three decades to complete. This is not much to praise. But this is how everything works in India so there is nothing to say. It is a big deal that the farmers will benefit from it, belatedly, belatedly.
With the completion of Shahpur Kandi Barrage, its chapter was over, but there were comments on social media that India should stop the water of Indus River and stop the water of Indus River in the same way that India built the Shahpur Kandi Barrage so that the water of Ravi River does not flow into Pakistan. This is also old. In 2016, when Pakistani terrorists attacked our army camp in Uri, Kashmir, there was a campaign on social media that the Indus water should be stopped to respond to Pakistan's threats. Now the same things have started again.
It is not to be wondered who is doing these things. All these things may sound good on social media but in reality it is not possible. India has stopped the fact that Ravi river water was wasted going to Pakistan, but it has not done so that even a drop of water does not go to Pakistan because it is not possible. India has built this dam under the Indus Water Treaty, so Pakistan has no objection to it, but if India blocks the waters of the Indus, Chenab or Jhelum rivers, it will become an international issue. The greater danger is that China may come to the aid of Pakistan and create trouble for India.
The Indus River flows through India in Pakistan but originates in Tibet. Singhu originates from the western part of Tibet. The Indus originates near Mount Kailas and Kailas Mansarovar and flows into Ladakh, India. From Ladakh it goes to Gilgit-Baltistan occupied by Pakistan and then through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Pakistan's Punjab.
If we stop the Indus in Ladakh and do not let its water go to Pakistan, then China should stop the Indus from Tibet itself. Indus also receives water from the part of the Himalayas that is in India, so the Indus will not dry up completely, but if China diverts it to itself, the water will be reduced to a third. Indus is not part of India, so India does not need Indus water, but China can also withhold Brahmaputra water to benefit Pakistan.
Brahmaputra originates from China. Brahmaputra, known as Yarlung Zhangbo in China, flows from India to Bangladesh. Brahmaputra enters India from Arunachal Pradesh and flows into Assam. All north-eastern states including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh are dependent on Brahmaputra.
As India diverted its water into the Yamuna river by constructing the Brahmaputra-Yamu link, North India also gets rich benefits from the waters of the Brahmaputra river. If India stops the water of Indus, China can stop the water of Brahmaputra along with Indus. China, with its monstrous strength in technology, can do anything. By constructing 11 big dams on the Brahmaputra river, China's desire to capture most of its water is well known, so it jumps to capture the water of the Brahmaputra as soon as it gets an opportunity. India cannot afford to give that chance to China in its zeal to embarrass Pakistan on the Indus River issue.
India has been strictly following the Indus Water Treaty for years as India does not believe in Pakistan's dam conflicts. The second is that, even if the water of the Indus river is stopped, what will India do with it? India has enough water as it has many big rivers. The question is how to properly manage this water.
India has abundantly used the water of three rivers namely Sutlej, Beas and Ravi. The Bhakra-Nangal Dam on the Sutlej has enriched Punjab-Haryana. These rivers are the reason why India became self-sufficient in food production. Due to these rivers, Punjab-Haryana became the happiest state in India due to agriculture without big industries. As Sutlej canals reach other states in North India, these states are green as well. India can solve the water problems of other states by building dams on other rivers just as India solved the irrigation problem of the entire North India by building Bhakra Nangal Dam. For that there is no need to stop the water of Indus or any other river flowing to Pakistan.
Indus Water Treaty due to Pakistan's flurry, 3 rivers to India, 3 to Pakistan
The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan to share the waters of six rivers flowing through Punjab. The World Bank mediated this water treaty. It was signed by Jawaharlal Nehru on behalf of India and Ayub Khan on behalf of Pakistan. According to this treaty, out of the six major rivers flowing through India and Pakistan, three rivers each have been shared between the two countries. Beas, Ravi and Sutlej rivers came from Indian side while Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers came from Pakistan side.
According to this treaty, India can use the waters of the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers as it sees fit. India can use sufficient water of these three rivers for irrigation, transport, power generation but cannot use the water of these rivers for industries or projects by setting up industries or other projects on its banks. India can also build dams that can store a certain amount of water. While building this dam, Pakistan also has to be careful not to get less than a certain amount of water.
Pakistan feared that India could withhold water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers and create an artificial shortage of water there, causing drought. This treaty was signed after Pakistan expressed this fear in the UN.
If India breaks the Indus Water Treaty, China will disturb India
If India violates the Indus Water Treaty, then China will bother India because Pakistan and China are one and the same. China has already reduced the flow of the Brahmaputra by damming several small rivers that meet the Brahmaputra in Tibet. China has built the Lalho Hydro Project in Zhigaze, Tibet, on the Jiabukyu River, which flows into the Brahmaputra. The Lalho Power Project, built at a cost of 74 million US dollars, was started in June 2014 and completed in 2019. China can reduce the water level of Brahmaputra by diverting the water of all small rivers that flow into Brahmaputra towards this dam.
Apart from this, China is building the Zam Hydropower Project in Tibet on the Brahmaputra. The $1.50 billion project will be Tibet's largest power project. India has objected to it and it will reduce the flow of water. China is to build three more massive projects on the Brahmaputra. Due to this India will be affected. Since there is no water treaty between India and China, India cannot even go to the international court against China's actions.
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