Pak alleges India filling Baglihar Dam in violation of Indus Basin Water Treaty
23 Aug 2008, 1153 Hrs

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Lahore, Aug 23 (ANI): Pakistan's Indus Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah has alleged that India was filling the Baglihar Dam in clear violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, bringing the inflow in Chenab River down to a historic low of 20,000 cusecs.

This has forced Pakistan to launch a protest with India's Indus Commissioner, he added.

"Although the Indians can fill the dam between June 21 and Aug 31, they can only do so by releasing at least 55,000 cusecs downstream. We made a call to the Indian Indus Basin Water Treaty Commissioner who promised to get back after checking the facts from irrigation authorities in occupied Kashmir," the Dawn quoted Ali Shah as saying.

The commissioner's office has also informed the Pakistan Foreign Office and the Ministry of Water and Power about the situation, which would also take up the issue with the Indian agency concerned. "But, it certainly was a violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, as Pakistan had always feared when the Indians were building the dam," he said.

Punjab Irrigation Secretary Babar Hassan Bharwana said: "Inflow in the Chenab river has gone down to 20,000 cusecs on Friday against its historic low of 35,000 cusecs."

The Secretary added that inflow in the Chenab river had never gone below 35,000 cusecs, and with its dropping to a paltry 20,000 cusecs, the province would have to manage additional supplies from Mangla Dam, which was already facing filling crisis. (ANI)