PM Modi said the waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers that rightfully belong to India will be stopped from going waste in Pakistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers that rightfully belong to India will be stopped from going waste in Pakistan and he will ensure that farmers here utilise it. "Indus Water Treaty- Sutlej, Beas, Ravi - the waters in these rivers belong to India and our farmers. It is not being used in the fields of Pakistan but flowing into the sea through Pakistan. "Now every drop of this water will be stopped and I will give that to farmers of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir and Indian farmers.I am committed to this," he said addressing a rally.
He said a task force has been constituted to ensure that "each drop of water" that flows out of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi reaches Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. "There is no reason that we cannot use our rights (over our waters) and let our farmers suffer," he said, adding, "I need your blessings in order to fulfill your requirements for watering your fields."
The solution for the problems of water could be found out through common dialogue, he said. Criticising the previous governments at the Centre, Modi said, "Waters kept flowing to Pakistan, but successive governments kept sleeping on this issue and my farmer kept crying for the want of water."
"If Punjab farmers get sufficient amount of water, they could produce 'gold' from the soil and could fill the coffers of the country," he said. "Our government is committed to work in tandem with the Badal government in Punjab to get farmers their rights and address their concerns," he said.
All you need to know about the Indus Water Treaty
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water sharing arrangement, signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, by then Prime Minster Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's President General Ayub Khan. The World Bank (the erstwhile international bank for reconstruction and development) brokered the treaty and is also a party to it.
The Indus system of rivers comprises three western rivers which includes the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and three eastern rivers — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi.
What does the treaty grant India and Pakistan?
Under the treaty, India has exclusive rights on the eastern rivers and their tributaries while Pakistan has exclusive rights on the western rivers. Pakistan also received a one-time financial compensation for the loss of water from the eastern rivers and to build a new canal system.
The waters of the Indus basin begin in the Himalayan mountains in the region under China. The river flows from the hills through the arid and dry states of Punjab and Sindh, converging in Pakistan, and empties out in the Arabian Sea, south of Karachi.
History of the Treaty
During the first years of Partition, the water of the Indus was apportioned by the Inter-Dominion Accord of May 5, 1948 between India and Pakistan which required India to release sufficient waters to the Pakistani regions of the basin in return for annual payments from Pakistan. The accord was, however, meant to fulfil Pakistan's immediate requirements and was to be followed by negotiations for a more permanent solution. Thereafter, though there was a stalemate. Read more...
With inputs from PTI
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