Islamabad: Pakistan could be staring at an agricultural crisis this summer as water scarcity intensifies due to plummeting reservoir levels and drastically reduced inflow from the Chenab river.
The situation has reportedly worsened after India, following the Pahalgam terror attack, restricted water flow and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) obligations, creating what Islamabad calls an "artificial shortage" during a crucial sowing window.
Dam Storage Plunges, IRSA Raises Alarm
According to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), water availability for the ongoing kharif (summer crops) season is already down by 21%, with live storage in Pakistan’s key reservoirs, Mangla and Tarbela, at around half their respective capacities. “The sudden decrease in river Chenab inflows at Marala due to short supply by India would result in more shortage in early kharif season,” IRSA stated, urging judicious use of stored water.
Mangla dam is currently holding just 2.7 million acre-feet (MAF) of its 5.9 MAF capacity, while Tarbela has slightly over 6 MAF, about 50% of its limit. Both are critical for irrigation in the agrarian provinces of Punjab and Sindh.
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India Flushes Reservoirs, Stops Data Sharing
Indian authorities have reportedly flushed the Baglihar and Salal reservoirs in Jammu and Kashmir, clearing sediment to create additional storage, without passing on water flow data to Pakistan, a move made possible after India suspended its commitments under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
At a recent conference in Dushanbe, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern over India’s actions, reportedly linking them to “hydrological aggression” and urging the global community to take notice.
While monsoon rains may provide some relief in July, Pakistani officials warn that the lack of coordination could also worsen flood management, given that a large portion of the Indus river system originates in Indian territory.
