PM Modi on Tuesday amplified the resolve to use water from Indus river system for India, saying provisions of the "badly negotiated" Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) were prejudicial to the country's interests and did not let people here even use the share that was earmarked for them.
"I would like to tell the younger generation how this country was ruined. A closer look at IWT will leave you shocked. It was decided that the dams built on the rivers of J&K would not be cleaned. Desilting would not be done. The lower gates for clearing sediments were to remain shut. For 60 years, these gates were never opened. As a result, the reservoirs could effectively use only 2-3% of their storage capacity," Modi said.
His remarks at a gathering in Gandhinagar to celebrate 20 years of 'Gujarat Urban Growth Story' made it plain yet again that the cabinet committee on security's decision on April 23 to put IWT in abeyance in response to the Pahalgam massacre wasn't a knee-jerk response of an angry government. "The treaty has merely been put on hold and they (Pakistan) are already sweating profusely. We have opened small gates for cleaning the dams, and there is already a flood there," the PM said.
Though PM Modi had earlier said the re-activation of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would require Pakistan to put a stop to terror, Tuesday was the first instance when he got into the details; for instance, the provision that forbids India from undertaking de-silting and flushing the reservoirs of two run-of-the-river hydro-power projects - Baglihar and Salal - on Chenab in J&K. These dams were built in complete accordance with the 1960 water-sharing pact.
Post-Pahalgam, the govt had maintained that Pakistan's continuing use of terror to hurt India had knocked out the foundational premise of the treaty: friendly and good neighbourly ties.
Modi's remarks also strengthened the estimate in government quarters that India would seek a significant revision of the terms of the treaty which it has always considered to be loaded against its interests. Indications are that it will press for a renegotiation of the dispute settlement mechanism provided for under the treaty.
"I would like to tell the younger generation how this country was ruined. A closer look at IWT will leave you shocked. It was decided that the dams built on the rivers of J&K would not be cleaned. Desilting would not be done. The lower gates for clearing sediments were to remain shut. For 60 years, these gates were never opened. As a result, the reservoirs could effectively use only 2-3% of their storage capacity," Modi said.
His remarks at a gathering in Gandhinagar to celebrate 20 years of 'Gujarat Urban Growth Story' made it plain yet again that the cabinet committee on security's decision on April 23 to put IWT in abeyance in response to the Pahalgam massacre wasn't a knee-jerk response of an angry government. "The treaty has merely been put on hold and they (Pakistan) are already sweating profusely. We have opened small gates for cleaning the dams, and there is already a flood there," the PM said.
Though PM Modi had earlier said the re-activation of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) would require Pakistan to put a stop to terror, Tuesday was the first instance when he got into the details; for instance, the provision that forbids India from undertaking de-silting and flushing the reservoirs of two run-of-the-river hydro-power projects - Baglihar and Salal - on Chenab in J&K. These dams were built in complete accordance with the 1960 water-sharing pact.
Post-Pahalgam, the govt had maintained that Pakistan's continuing use of terror to hurt India had knocked out the foundational premise of the treaty: friendly and good neighbourly ties.
Modi's remarks also strengthened the estimate in government quarters that India would seek a significant revision of the terms of the treaty which it has always considered to be loaded against its interests. Indications are that it will press for a renegotiation of the dispute settlement mechanism provided for under the treaty.
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