India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty: What does it mean

NEW DELHI: India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) means that India has put on hold its obligations under the 1960 water-sharing agreement with Pakistan, which governs the use of water from six rivers in the Indus basin.

This is the first time that India has suspended the treaty since its signing, and it comes as a response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people including a tourist from Nepal.

The Indus river system consists of the main Indus River and its six major tributaries, with five on the left bank and one on the right bank. This extensive network plays a vital role in water supply for both India and Pakistan. The left bank tributaries include the Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers. The Kabul River, the sole right bank tributary, does not flow through Indian territory. The river system is categorized into two groups. While Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej are designated as eastern rivers, Chenab, Jhelum, and main Indus form the western rivers.



What the suspension entails?

• Stopping data sharing: India will cease sharing hydrological data such as water flow, snowmelt, and river discharge information with Pakistan, which Pakistan relies on to manage its water resources.

• No operational restrictions: India is no longer bound by the treaty's restrictions on how it uses water from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), potentially allowing it to build new storage or hydropower projects and manage water flow more freely.

• Suspension, not termination: The treaty does not have a provision for unilateral suspension or termination, so India is holding it "in abeyance" rather than formally quitting. This is a diplomatic move signaling pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting cross-border terrorism.

• No immediate impact on water flow: Despite the suspension, India currently lacks the infrastructure to significantly reduce or stop water flow to Pakistan, so any major impact on Pakistan's water supply would take years to materialize.

Significance and potential impact:

• The IWT has been a rare example of cooperation between India and Pakistan, surviving wars and conflicts over six decades. Its suspension marks a serious deterioration in bilateral relations.

• Pakistan depends heavily on the western rivers for about 80% of its agricultural water and a significant portion of its hydropower. Disruption could severely affect Pakistan's agriculture and economy.

• Pakistan has warned that any attempt to block or divert water would be considered an act of war, raising the stakes of this dispute.

• India's suspension is part of a broader diplomatic and economic crackdown on Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, including visa cancellations and border closures.

India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty means it is pausing its treaty obligations in response to Pakistan's alleged support for terrorism. This allows India to stop sharing water data and potentially use the Indus basin waters more freely, though immediate water flow to Pakistan is unlikely to be affected.

The move signals a major escalation in India-Pakistan tensions and threatens the longstanding water-sharing arrangement critical to Pakistan's agriculture and economy.