Indus Water Treaty Suspension

Prelims – Current events of national and international importance.

Mains (GS II) – India and its neighbourhood - relations| Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

Why in news?

India has declared the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960 with Pakistan "in abeyance" with immediate effect in response to terror strike in Pahalgam.

Held in abeyance – India has temporarily suspended the enforcement of the treaty until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
Scope of suspension – There is no explicit provision for treaty suspension in the original water treaty agreement.
Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties - Provide grounds for rejecting a treaty due to fundamental change of circumstances.

The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) adopted on 1969 is an international agreement that regulates treaties among sovereign states.

Implications of Suspension

India is no longer obligated to follow restrictions on reservoir flushing of the Kishanganga and other projects on western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Reservoir flushing is a technique used to remove accumulated sediment from a reservoir by releasing water at a high flow rate to wipe out the sediment.

Reservoir filling can now be done anytime instead of only during August (peak monsoon).
There are no operational restrictions on how reservoirs are to be filled and operated.
There will be no restrictions on designing building structures like dams on western rivers.
- In the past almost every project has been objected to by Pakistan over the designs.
India can stop sharing flood data on the rivers with Pakistan.
India can take flood control measures to mitigate floods in the Valley.

Indus Water Treaty

The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan.
Negotiated by - The World Bank.
Signed in - 1960.
The treaty covers the Indus system of rivers which includes:
- The main Indus River
- Five left bank tributaries - Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab

Water Allocation Under Treaty

Eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi)
- Allocated to India for unrestricted use
Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab)
- Allocated largely to Pakistan.