In the wake of the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the Pahalgam terror attack, the government is considering expanding the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab river to optimise India’s usage of its share of water, officials told Press Trust of India.
A senior government official said India has so far utilised only a limited portion of Chenab’s water, primarily for irrigation. However, with the treaty now in abeyance, there is potential to significantly scale up its use—particularly for hydropower generation to meet rising energy demands.
“One of the major plans is to enhance the length of the Ranbir canal to 120 kilometres,” the official said. Given the scale of infrastructure development involved, stakeholders have been asked to expedite the process.
Another official said that India is aiming to increase its current hydropower capacity of approximately 3,000 megawatts on rivers that were previously allocated to Pakistan under the treaty. A feasibility study to this effect is also being planned, the official added.
Additionally, the government has initiated the desilting of key canals including the Kathua, Ravi, and Paragwal, as part of broader efforts to modernise water infrastructure in the region.
India's plan to tap rivers
Alongside plans to expand the Ranbir canal, India is also exploring projects that could reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to it under the Indus Waters Treaty, according to two government documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five individuals familiar with the matter.
One undated note, prepared by a government-owned company to guide irrigation planning, proposes that water from the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers could potentially be redistributed into rivers in three northern Indian states, Reuters reported. One source said the document—whose details have not been previously disclosed—was created for internal discussions with the power ministry following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The Indian government has also compiled a list of hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir with the aim of expanding capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, prepared by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. However, a person familiar with the document said it predated the April attack but is now part of active discussions within the government.
The planned projects also include dams capable of storing significant volumes of water—marking what could be India’s first major storage infrastructure within the Indus river system. According to two sources, at least five potential storage projects have been identified, four of which are located on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum, based on the power ministry document.
Water and blood cannot flow together...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier in a fiery speech, declared that “water and blood cannot flow together”—a pointed remark widely interpreted as a signal of India’s hardened stance, though he did not explicitly mention the Indus Waters Treaty.
Echoing Modi’s sentiment, Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil said at a media event that his ministry would “implement what Prime Minister Modi says” and “try to ensure that not a drop of water goes out.”
Islamabad, reacting to India’s suspension of the treaty in April, warned that “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” would be considered an “act of war.”
Pakistan relies heavily on the Indus river system: about 80% of its farmland depends on it, as do nearly all of its hydropower projects serving a population of around 250 million.
What is Indus Waters Treaty?
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the distribution of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. It divides the rivers into eastern (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) tributaries, granting exclusive rights over each set to India and Pakistan respectively.
India suspended its participation in the treaty earlier this year, citing Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. Officials reiterated that the treaty will remain suspended until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably abjures” such support.
With inputs from PTI and Reuters
A senior government official said India has so far utilised only a limited portion of Chenab’s water, primarily for irrigation. However, with the treaty now in abeyance, there is potential to significantly scale up its use—particularly for hydropower generation to meet rising energy demands.
“One of the major plans is to enhance the length of the Ranbir canal to 120 kilometres,” the official said. Given the scale of infrastructure development involved, stakeholders have been asked to expedite the process.
Another official said that India is aiming to increase its current hydropower capacity of approximately 3,000 megawatts on rivers that were previously allocated to Pakistan under the treaty. A feasibility study to this effect is also being planned, the official added.
Additionally, the government has initiated the desilting of key canals including the Kathua, Ravi, and Paragwal, as part of broader efforts to modernise water infrastructure in the region.
India's plan to tap rivers
Alongside plans to expand the Ranbir canal, India is also exploring projects that could reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to it under the Indus Waters Treaty, according to two government documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with five individuals familiar with the matter.
One undated note, prepared by a government-owned company to guide irrigation planning, proposes that water from the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers could potentially be redistributed into rivers in three northern Indian states, Reuters reported. One source said the document—whose details have not been previously disclosed—was created for internal discussions with the power ministry following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The Indian government has also compiled a list of hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir with the aim of expanding capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, prepared by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. However, a person familiar with the document said it predated the April attack but is now part of active discussions within the government.
The planned projects also include dams capable of storing significant volumes of water—marking what could be India’s first major storage infrastructure within the Indus river system. According to two sources, at least five potential storage projects have been identified, four of which are located on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum, based on the power ministry document.
Water and blood cannot flow together...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, earlier in a fiery speech, declared that “water and blood cannot flow together”—a pointed remark widely interpreted as a signal of India’s hardened stance, though he did not explicitly mention the Indus Waters Treaty.
Echoing Modi’s sentiment, Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil said at a media event that his ministry would “implement what Prime Minister Modi says” and “try to ensure that not a drop of water goes out.”
Islamabad, reacting to India’s suspension of the treaty in April, warned that “any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan” would be considered an “act of war.”
Pakistan relies heavily on the Indus river system: about 80% of its farmland depends on it, as do nearly all of its hydropower projects serving a population of around 250 million.
What is Indus Waters Treaty?
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, governs the distribution of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. It divides the rivers into eastern (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) tributaries, granting exclusive rights over each set to India and Pakistan respectively.
India suspended its participation in the treaty earlier this year, citing Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism. Officials reiterated that the treaty will remain suspended until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably abjures” such support.
With inputs from PTI and Reuters
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