India has halted the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and is preparing to implement similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The source indicated that both the Baglihar Dam, located in Ramban district of Jammu, and the Kishanganga Dam in north Kashmir, give India the strategic capability to control and regulate the timing of water releases. These hydroelectric installations are key assets in India's management of river resources in the region.
This move comes in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists. In response, India has decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty—a landmark agreement in place for more than six decades.
Signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution and usage rights of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. It has been widely regarded as one of the most successful water-sharing agreements in the world, even surviving multiple military conflicts between the two nations.
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However, the Baglihar Dam has long been a source of contention between India and Pakistan. In the past, Islamabad sought arbitration from the World Bank, claiming the dam violated treaty terms. Although the World Bank ultimately allowed construction to proceed with minor modifications, tensions over the dam have persisted.
Similarly, the Kishanganga Dam has faced legal and diplomatic challenges, particularly over its potential impact on the Neelum River—a tributary of the Jhelum—which flows into Pakistan-administered territory. Concerns have centered around reduced downstream flow and the dam’s ecological consequences.
India’s current actions signal a significant escalation in its response to cross-border terrorism and may have far-reaching diplomatic and environmental implications for the region.
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