The Government will soon set up an inter ministerial task force to exploit the full potential of the rivers Indus, Chenab, Jhelum as per the Indus Water Treaty.
Official sources said, this was decided today at a high level meeting presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take stock of the treaty in the wake of sustained cross border attacks including Uri terror strike.
Prime Minister said blood and water cannot flow together. Sources said during the meeting, it was decided to expedite construction on Pakal Dul , Sawalkot and Bursar Dams on Chenab river. The country will also review construction on Tulbul navigation project in Kashmir valley on which work was unilaterally suspended by India in 1987.
India wants to exercise its rights under Indus Water Treaty to its fullest extent. These rivers were allocated to Pakistan under the treaty. Under this arrangement, India can use 20 per cent of the water of these rivers for irrigation, transport and power generation which is currently not being done.
Attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary and senior PMO officials, the meeting also noted that the meeting of Indus Water Commission can only take place in atmosphere free of terror. The Commission has held 112 meetings so far and the last meeting was held nearly six month back.
Under the treaty, which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan in
1960, water of six rivers – Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum – were to be shared between the two countries. The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, is often considered to be one-sided and there has been growing clamour for relook.
The sources asserted that the decision to maximise the water resources for irrigation will address the sentiment of people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have complained in the past about the treaty not being fair to them.