US EditionPakistan may face 21% water shortage for kharif as India halts Indus Treaty, says IRSA
- On April 24, 2025, India officially halted the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, citing security issues following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which affected water flows to Pakistan.
- India placed the treaty in abeyance due to security concerns after the attack that killed 26 civilians, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.
- Pakistan’s Indus River System Authority has raised alarm over a significant decline in the Chenab River’s flow at Marala, which is expected to cause a roughly 21% reduction in water availability for crops during the initial phase of the Kharif planting season.
- IRSA stated the shortage threatens irrigation for crucial crops like rice, cotton, and maize, affecting Pakistan’s agriculture sector which employs 38% of the workforce and contributes 20% to GDP.
- The water deficit poses severe risks to food security and rural incomes in Pakistan, with officials saying the shortage will be reassessed if inflows continue to decline.
20 Articles
20 Articles
"Mark Those Words": India's Sharp Response To Pak On Indus Treaty Suspension
India on Thursday asserted its right to put the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in "abeyance" following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed by terrorists linked to Pakistan.
The ‘Abeyance’ of the Indus Water Treaty – A Strategic Ploy or a Disaster in Waiting?
While it can be argued that the decision to place IWT in ‘abeyance’ is not a violation but a legal decision under the aegis of customary international law, the diplomatic strategy seems to play in a grey area of the treaty.
India will "cut water" from rivers irrigating Pakistan, announces Prime Minister Modi
New Delhi suspended its participation in a 1960 water-sharing treaty with Pakistan in retaliation for the bombing that killed 26 people on 22 April in the tourist town of Pahalgam, Indian Kashmir.
Pakistan may face 21% water shortage for kharif as India halts Indus Treaty, says IRSA
The water shortage is a likely fallout of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack, which was attributed to Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism.
What India’s river moves mean for South Asian water cooperation
On 23 April, India announced it would suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a landmark water-sharing agreement with Pakistan signed in 1960. The move marked a significant escalation in South Asia’s already fraught transboundary water diplomacy. Two weeks later, on 6 May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s hardline stance: “Now, India’s water will flow for India’s benefit, it will be conserved for India’s benefit and it will …
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