India begins providing river outflow data to Pak

Lahore, June 30 (ANI): As part of an annual practice, India has started providing Pakistan with data on the outflow of the Ravi, Sutlej, Beas and Chenab rivers from today.

After the Indus Basin Treaty, 1960, the Indian Indus water commissioner's office provides the river outflow data on an annual basis, the Daily Times reports.

Under the treaty, Pakistan is entitled to the use of the waters of western rivers, Chenab, Indus and Jhelum, while India has rights over the water of eastern rivers, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas.

Earlier, Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah had said that there had not been any violation of the agreement on the Ranbir and Partap Canals on India's part.

He also rejected reports that Pakistan was going to the International Court of Justice on the Kishanganga Dam project.

Pakistan has been opposing the construction of the Kishanganga hydropower project on Ganga River in Kashmir, which is called Neelum upon entering Pakistan.

Pakistan believes that the diversion of waters of Neelum is not allowed under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and it will face a 27 per cent water deficit, when the project gets completed.

The reduced water flow in the Neelum would not yield the required results of the proposed 1.6 billion dollars Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project that has been designed to generate 969 MW of electricity.

It has said that India has almost completed a 22-kilometre long tunnel to divert Kishanganga waters to Wullar Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)