Stopping of Chenab water has put Pakistan's crop sowing at risk

04-Jun-2025 12:47 PM

Stopping of Chenab water has put Pakistan's crop sowing at risk

New Delhi. Tensions with India are beginning to have serious consequences for Pakistan. The water reserves in its two major dams, Mangla on the Jhelum River and Tarbela on the Indus River, have significantly declined, severely impacting the pace of Kharif crop sowing. Additionally, the flow of water in the Chenab River has dropped sharply after India started controlling the river’s flow, causing alarm in Pakistan.

As the Kharif crop sowing season begins, Pakistan is facing an acute water shortage for irrigation. Both the government and the public are increasingly concerned. In response, a Pakistani delegation traveled to the United States to seek diplomatic support and apply pressure on India. The Prime Minister of Pakistan also voiced his concerns at a conference in Tajikistan, attempting to draw the attention of global leaders to India's move to postpone the Indus Water Treaty. However, there is a clear understanding that India is unlikely to yield to external pressure.

According to the Indus River System Authority of Pakistan, water flow in the country has already dropped by 21 percent, and reserves in the two main dams have fallen by 50 percent. These dams are critical not only for agricultural irrigation in Pakistan's primary farming provinces, Punjab and Sindh, but also for hydroelectric power generation. The water shortage is now threatening both food security and electricity production in the country.