Indian water commission delegation reaches Lahore
August 28, 2018
LAHORE: A nine-member delegation of Indian Indus Waters Commission arrived in Lahore on Tuesday to hold talks over the water issue with Pakistani authorities.
The Indian delegation, headed by Indian water commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena, arrived today through Wagah border crossing.
The delegation arrived here to discuss the Indus Waters Treaty (also known as the Sindh Taas Agreement) among other issues over the next two days.
The Pakistani delegation would be headed by Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Water Syed Meher Ali Shah.
Pakistan has raised objections to Indian water projects on Chenab River.
Pakistan is of the view that India has violated the Indus Waters Treaty by starting construction of reservoirs at a time when the country is reeling from severe water shortage.
According to reports, the Indian delegation was initially supposed to visit Pakistan in July, however, due to elections in the country, the meeting was postponed.
With the new government in Pakistan, the two countries will once again revisit the long-standing water issue and try to find a solution to it.
According to officials, India wanted to place spillway of 1,000 megawatts of Pakal Dul Dam on Chenab River in Indian-occupied Kashmir, about 15 metres down against the permissible limit, which will give the country undue leverage of holding 11,000 acres of feet water in addition to the allowed volume of water storage, The News reported.
India wanted to establish water storage capacity of 88,000-acre feet on Chenab River with the setting up of Pakal Dul Dam.
Pakal Dul Dam is a reservoir-based scheme currently under construction on river Marusudar, the main right bank tributary of Chenab River in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, while lower Kalnai project is of 48 megawatts on another tributary of the river.
