The Chenab River has started to swell after India opened two gates of the Baglihar dam on Saturday. This move was made to control the rising water levels caused by heavy rainfall in the region on Friday. The gates were open from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
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Although India and Pakistan had agreed to pause firing and military actions, the issue of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which India has currently put on hold, was not discussed. Under the IWT, India has the right to use the waters of the eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi), while Pakistan controls the waters of the western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus).
#WATCH | Jammu and Kashmir | One gate at the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project Dam, built on the Chenab River in Ramban, has been opened.
(Visuals from the spot shot around 9:25 am) pic.twitter.com/0mDGasFa19
— ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2025
The treaty has been a topic of concern for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). After the terror attack in Pahalgam, India put the treaty in abeyance. Farooq Abdullah, the National Conference president and former J&K chief minister, has long criticized the treaty. He believes that it harms the interests of J&K and has called for the review of the treaty, even suggesting that the water from the Chenab River be diverted to Jammu and that power be harnessed from the Jhelum River in Kashmir.
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The National Conference (NC) party has been against the treaty for years, stating that it gave Pakistan control over the rivers without considering the interests of J&K. In 2003, the J&K Legislative Council passed a resolution asking the government to review the treaty to protect J&K’s interests. Later, in 2011, then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah requested compensation for the losses J&K incurred due to the treaty.
