3 months ago
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The Jammu & Kashmir authorities is mulling to instrumentality vantage of the suspended Indus Water Treaty (IWT) by diverting, for the archetypal time, h2o from the Ravi stream successful Punjab to the Jammu region, and pushing for the revival of the Tulbul Navigation Barrage task successful the Kashmir region.
Official sources said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has raised the contented with the Centre. The Tulbul project, which started successful 1984, deed a dormant extremity erstwhile Pakistan raised objections successful 1987 nether the IWT. However, the Centre enactment the pact successful abeyance successful 2025 aft the Pahalgam panic attack.
In its renewed efforts, the J&K authorities has made a proposal to the Centre to alteration year-round navigation connected the Wular water by maintaining a minimum extent of water, which was not imaginable due to the fact that of the IWT. It is apt to infuse a caller lease of beingness to the Wular water and the farmlands nearby, officials said.
The J&K authorities has besides projected a large water pump from the Chenab stream successful Akhnoor to conscionable Jammu’s aboriginal needs. Besides, the government has projected to divert excess h2o from the Ravi successful Punjab to provender the barren lands of Kathua and Samba districts successful Jammu region.
Officials said the Shahpur Kandi dam adjacent to Punjab is apt to beryllium completed this twelvemonth and volition halt the travel of excess h2o from the Ravi into Pakistan.
“The excess h2o from Ravi stream (in Punjab) to Pakistan volition beryllium stopped and diverted to Kathua and Samba districts, which are drought-hit areas. This task is our priority,” J&K Water Resources Minister Javeed Rana told The Hindu.
Under the IWT, signed by the 2 countries successful 1960, India has afloat rights implicit 3 eastbound rivers of Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The pact allowed Pakistan afloat rights implicit 3 occidental rivers of Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.
