NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s zeal to insert the “water issue” in the bilateral talks is being seen here as an attempt to divert popular attention back home from the mismanagement of its water resources and the growing discontent in Sindh and Balochistan over the denial of their share of Indus waters.
Analysts here have been struck by the way Pakistan’s political class and the jehadi establishment have teamed up to unleash a propaganda offensive against India’s “machinations” to rob the neighbouring country of its legitimate share of Indus waters.
With leading jehadis Hafiz Saeed and his deputy Abdur Rahman Makki of Lashkar warning of serious repercussions, holding out the grim warning of “Muslims dying of thirst would drink blood of India”, the official establishment has scarcely been subtle in upping the ante on the emotionally fraught issue where agriculture remains the mainstay of economy. A full spectrum of devices — from statements from the PM downwards to official briefings and remarks of official spokespersons endorsing fears of theft of Pakistan’s water by India — have been used to elevate water to the level of “core issue” — a description so far reserved for the dispute ove J&K.
The government-jehadi concert has raised suspicions here whether Pakistan is raising a bogey to thwart the construction of storage dams on western rivers at Bursar (J&K) and Gyspa (HP) by India in keeping with its entitlement under Indus Water Treaty. It is also suspected that the larger gameplan could be to seek arbitration outside the Permanent Indus Water Commission the two countries have.
The grievance narrative, however, suffers from serious infirmities. Analysts point out that Indus Water Treaty of 1960 — an agreement which has so far endured despite conflicts — allocated the three eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas and Ravi) of Indus system to India, whereas the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) were assigned to Pakistan. Importantly, western rivers are far more bountiful than eastern rivers — mean flow of 136 million acre feet (MAF) against a mere 33 MAF in that order.
India, however, did not let the huge gap come in the way as it decided to pay Pakistan a compensation of 62 million pound sterling for construction of `replacement’ canals as compensation for waters of eastern rivers. While this was a rare instance of upper riparian state (India) giving disproportionately, India also accepted severe restrictions on the use of waters of western rivers.
As it escalates its campaign against India over water issue, Islamabad, those familiar with the matter said, was concealing from its people such crucial facts that India is yet to avail of its entitlement to build storage for up to 3.6 MAF on western rivers. Or, for that matter, that of the crop area of 13,43,477 acres that India is allowed to irrigate using waters of western rivers, India has so far been irrigating only 7,92,426 acres.
At the root of the `misinformation campaign’ lies a complex web of issues, including the “water greed” of northern part of Pakistan’s Punjab which has seen not just Sindh and Balochistan but also, increasingly, southern Punjab in that country going without their legitimate share of Indus waters.
The mismanagement by Pakistan coupled with the fact that Indus waters carry more silt — giving rise to real and ever-worsening problem of siltation — has resulted in Indus waters not reaching the whole length of the canals in Pakistan. To compound matters, deforestation and rising temperatures mean a huge depletion in flow of water to Pakistan.
Islamabad recognises the problem is going to deepen with analysts projecting a water deficit of 30% by 2025. Like in the case of many of its other problems, it has decided to deflect the attention towards India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5609099.cms?prtpage=1
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