With water levels in the Chenab River rising alarmingly following days of heavy rainfall across the Jammu region, authorities on Sunday opened multiple spillway gates of the Salal Dam in Reasi district to prevent potential flooding.
The decision to release excess water comes amid a dual concern—monsoon inundation and geopolitical sensitivity in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which prompted New Delhi to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance as part of “Operation Sindoor.”
In an official advisory, the administration urged people to steer clear of riverbanks and follow safety protocols, citing dangerous current speeds and the possibility of further water discharge.
“The gates were opened to safely discharge excess water and prevent any possible flooding downstream,” an official statement said.
River safety warning
DIG of the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range, Shridhar Patil, acknowledged the precarious situation while appealing for public cooperation. Speaking to ANI, he remarked:
“All of you must have noticed that the water level has risen in the Chenab River. One incident has also come to our notice in the Doda district, in which some people have lost their lives. I appeal to all people not to go near the rivers... The water level is very high. Do not put yourself at risk.”
Earlier, the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project also experienced an overflow due to similar rainfall patterns, prompting a coordinated management of dam systems along the river. Baglihar, like Salal, is a run-of-the-river (ROR) project—designed not to store vast quantities of water, but still requiring real-time interventions during the monsoon surge.
Also read: Chenab breaches danger levels, casualties reported in J&K's Doda
Last month, the Salal gates had largely remained closed, not for meteorological but strategic reasons, as tensions escalated between India and Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam attack, India’s central leadership responded by activating Operation Sindoor—a shift in water diplomacy that effectively suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
“One of the gates was briefly opened last month to manage overflow due to increased water levels from rainfall, but operations at the dam were largely kept under tight control due to the ongoing diplomatic tensions,” an official source confirmed.
The treaty, a cornerstone of water-sharing between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, allocates the waters of the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej to India and the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab to Pakistan, albeit with limited non-consumptive use permitted to India on the western rivers.
The Salal and Baglihar Dams, both built on the Chenab, exemplify how run-of-the-river designs can still become focal points in the strategic calculus of hydropolitics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the matter in May, stated, “Water and blood cannot flow together,” highlighting India’s decision to suspend treaty provisions in the wake of terror strikes. He linked the move to a broader post-Uri and post-Balakot doctrine of assertive national response.
Coordinated measures avert flooding
On 8 May, the Baglihar Dam had also been forced to open its floodgates amid torrential downpours. Officials noted that the swift coordination between multiple projects on the Chenab has so far helped stave off major flooding incidents in downstream districts such as Ramban and Doda.
Authorities remain on high alert as meteorological departments forecast further rainfall over the next 48 hours. Evacuation protocols are in place should the river breach critical thresholds.
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