India Revives Tulbul Navigation Project Amidst Indus Waters Treaty Reevaluation

The Indian government is advancing with efforts to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project, a move aimed at maximizing the country's utilization of water from the western rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), as confirmed by senior officials.

The detailed project report (DPR) for Tulbul is underway and is anticipated to be completed within a year.

"Post-DPR, a decision will be made," a senior official noted, highlighting that discussions have reached a significant stage to resume the project.

This initiative follows the suspension of the IWT after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, prompting India to reevaluate its water-sharing dealings with Pakistan.

As per the IWT, India has restricted rights over the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers, which largely flow into Pakistan.

Officials have indicated that efforts are underway to enhance India's use of its water share from these western rivers.

"There's potential to divert water from a western river to Punjab and Haryana," disclosed an official, though clarifying that the Indus is not part of these diversion plans.

India contends with challenges due to its limited water-storage capability, particularly during the monsoon season.

"During the monsoons, we lack capacity. However, in dry periods, we can store some water, particularly on the Chenab River," an official explained. "Excess water descends downstream to Pakistan," he added.

This constraint in storage, limited to 24 to 48 hours, previously necessitated "flushing operations" at dams.

"Our dams were filled and flushed to handle sediment, though treaty restrictions on flooding posed sediment management challenges. We are now focusing on improved dam and reservoir management," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Kishanganga hydropower project has been completed despite initial objections from Pakistan, and work on the Ratle project is progressing rapidly.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)