Pakistan on Tuesday accused India of altering the flow of the Chenab River, one of three rivers placed under Pakistan鈥檚 control according to the now suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
This major river originates in India but was allocated to Pakistan under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed by the two nuclear powers.
India suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people.
Islamabad warned that tampering with its rivers would be considered 鈥榓n act of war鈥�.
鈥榃e have witnessed changes in the river Chenab which are not natural at all,鈥� Kazim Pirzada, irrigation minister for Punjab province, said.
Punjab, bordering India and home to nearly half of Pakistan鈥檚 240 million citizens, is the country鈥檚 agricultural heartland, and 鈥榯he majority impact will be felt in areas which have fewer alternate water routes,鈥� Pirzada warned.
鈥極ne day the river had normal inflow and the next day it was greatly reduced,鈥� Pirzada added.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, large quantities of water from India were reportedly released on April 26, according to the Jinnah Institute, a think tank led by a former Pakistani climate change minister.
鈥楾his is being done so that we don鈥檛 get to utilise the water,鈥� Pirzada added.
The gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir which lies upstream of Pakistani Punjab 鈥榟ave been lowered to restrict water flow as a short-term punitive action鈥�, a senior Indian official has told The Indian Express.
The Indus Waters Treaty permits India to use shared rivers for dams or irrigation but prohibits diverting watercourses or altering downstream volumes.
Indian authorities have not commented yet but Kushvinder Vohra, former head of India鈥檚 Central Water Commission, told The Times of India: 鈥楽ince the treaty is on pause we may do flushing on any project without any obligation鈥�.
Experts said the water cannot be stopped in the longer term, and that India can only regulate timings of when it releases flows.
However, the Jinnah Institute warned: 鈥楨ven small changes in the timing of water releases can disrupt sowing calendars and reduce crop yields鈥�.
