The central government has decided to launch a public outreach programme to explain how the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan will benefit the general public, sources said on Monday. Senior Union ministers are expected to directly engage with people, particularly in northern states where future river water usage is expected to be higher.
The decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty was one of several punitive measures taken by New Delhi against Islamabad following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Water Resources Minister CR Patil, and Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav are among the Cabinet members who have been tasked with leading this initiative, sources added.
The government is reportedly working on a long-term strategy to make better use of the Indus River waters. This includes the construction of a 160-kilometre canal connecting the Chenab river with the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej river systems. Additionally, a nearly 13-kilometre tunnel is planned to link the Indus with other rivers and canals, enabling water to be transported from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
The government aims to connect the Indus waters to Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar within three years. For this, the existing 13 canal systems across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan will be integrated.
According to the government, this will not only increase water availability in these regions but also allow India to utilise surplus water for irrigation and power generation.
Senior ministers will reach out to residents in all regions expected to benefit from the increased water supply and assure them that the BJP government’s decision will help avert water shortages in the years ahead. A wide-ranging public outreach campaign will be conducted in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan to communicate this message.
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, is a water-distribution agreement between India and Pakistan. It allocates control of the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan, with specific provisions allowing limited use of each other’s allocated rivers.
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