After suspension of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India wrote to the World Bank’s neutral expert, Michel Lino, requesting a pause in his proceedings on the Ratle and Kishanganga hydropower disputes, according to a report by Indian Express.
The IE report stated that Lino sought Pakistan’s views on India’s request, which Islamabad has opposed. The disputes are being heard by Lino since 2022 regarding the two Indian hydropower projects in Jammu Kashmir. India is constructing two hydroelectric power projects—the Kishenganga HE project on Kishenganga river, a tributary of Jhelum, and the Ratle Hydroelectric project on Chenab river.
Signed in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty stipulated India can access water from the ‘Eastern Rivers’ — the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — and Pakistan retained rights to the waters from the ‘Western Rivers’ Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab while holding its rights over a certain percentage of water for irrigation and hydro-electric power generation.
Who is Michel Lino?
Michel Lino is a French engineer who specialises in hydropower and dam engineering. In his nearly four-decade career, Lino held the role of vice president of the International Commission of Large Dams (ICOLD) from 2016 to 2019, and currently serves as the organisation’s president. Lino was appointed by the World Bank on October 13, 2022, under Article IX and Annexure F of the Indus Waters Treaty.
According to a report, Lino must hear both India and Pakistan and determine whether the design of these projects complies with the treaty.
Pakistan claims India is violating the treaty, particularly on minimum water flow requirements. After the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, India pulled out of the water treaty.
The Indian government formally notified Lino and requested that he vacate the mutually agreed “work programme” pertaining to the Kishanganga and Ratle disputes. In its response to Lino, Pakistan objected to India’s stance and opposed any proposal to suspend the dispute resolution proceedings.
As per the report, Pakistan was to submit its written response – or counter memorial – to India’s submission by August 7. The fourth meeting of the neutral expert with both sides was scheduled for November 17 to 22.
Lino functions as a technical adjudicator under the treaty to resolve “differences”. He is expected to consider Pakistan’s comments before deciding whether to pause the proceedings.
The India and Pakistan governments have reportedly exchanged letters on the suspension of IWT.
India formally notified Pakistan of its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance by a letter on April 24. In response, ahead of Operation Sindoor on Ma7, Pakistan indicated its willingness to discuss the matter and suggested a date in May for discussion. However, India did not respond to the offer.
Sources quoted in the report said that Centre has plans to construct a canal to divert water from one of the river to irrigate a track of contiguous area. It has also carried out two flushing exercises at Baglihar and Salal – two run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects on the Chenab in J&K – to clear sediment that hampers power generation.
These are the first such exercises since Salal was built in 1987 and Baglihar in 2008–09. Pakistan had previously blocked such activities through objections under the IWT. Officials told that flushing will now be conducted at regular intervals.
J&K suffered over Rs 60K Cr in losses due to IWT: Expert
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has suffered economic losses of over Rs 60,000 crore due to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) since the bilateral pact came into force in 1960, according to an expert.
“Jammu and Kashmir has been the sufferer, worst hit by the IWT,” said former Professor of Economics at Kashmir University, Dr Nisar Ali, demanding a scientific assessment to know the true extent of the loss.
The estimated losses are around Rs 60,000 crore, while official reports peg them at Rs 20,000 crore between 1960 and 1998, Dr Ali said. Under the IWT, Pakistan received an allocation of the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab), while India received the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej). According to Dr Ali, J&K’s losses began to mount as it was not allowed to construct dams beyond a certain height and “we cannot irrigate more than 13 lakh hectares of land”.
As a result, the state failed to make optimum use of the Chenab and Indus waters, he said, adding: “We cannot make big dams for power projects. We must utilise the run-of-the-river resources. If we had big dams, we could have stored more water and generated more electricity.” Such underutilisation led to the loss of electricity as a resource and limited agricultural activities, which, in turn, impacted development. Else, “we could have big industries here”. Experts contend that of J&K’s hydro potential of 20,000 MW, only 3,400 MWs have been harnessed.
The result is that from being a self-sufficient economy in 1954, J&K is now dependent on central funds, and the IWT is partly responsible for this, according to the Professor.
Sources said that past state governments had twice attempted to quantify the losses J&K suffered due to IWT by hiring external consultants. However, the first attempt in 2013 did not see the light of day because the consultant backed out because of official cold-shouldering. The second one in 2018 was shelved for unknown reasons, he said.
