Pakistan's new water war claim: India disrupting Jhelum, Neelum flows

Pakistan has raised fresh concerns over declining water supplies from two more rivers flowing in from India - Jhelum and Neelum. Days after it flagged an alarming drop in Chenab's flow, Pakistan has alleged that the abrupt holding and releasing of Jhelum water by India was a serious and alarming issue, according to a report in The Dawn. It is the latest flashpoint since India suspended the 65-year-old Indus Water Treaty (IWT) following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, which left 26 dead.

Last week, the Pakistan commissioner on Indus waters said Jhelum was experiencing reduced inflow to the Mangla dam, located in Mirpur, around a two-hour drive from Islamabad. In fact, Pakistani media reports claimed the water flow in the Jhelum and Neelum rivers plummeted to 3,000 cusecs, a sharp drop from over 5,000 cusecs.

Pakistan has claimed that the development, coming at a critical time of the agricultural cycle, during the Rabi sowing season, directly threatened the life and livelihood of its 240 million people.

Jhelum is a critical lifeline for agriculture in Pakistan. Its waters, primarily managed via the Mangla Dam and the Rasul Barrage, irrigate a vast area of agricultural land in the Punjab province, including the Chaj Doab region.

"It is really serious and alarming because around 15 million of the total 25 million acres of agricultural land, which is irrigated through various canals, is receiving either less water or no water these days," a Pakistani official of the irrigation department told The Dawn.

While Pakistan has not raised the Jhelum issue with India yet, its commissioner for Indus waters, Syed Mehr Ali Shah, said the flow was being observed daily.

"For now, we have written a letter to India about the Chenab River. We will look into the issue further upon receipt of a reply," Shah said.

India, however, has not responded to either of the claims regarding the Chenab and Jhelum. Previously, experts have cited that river flows can fluctuate due to seasonal factors and rainfall patterns.

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