India has control over water flowing in the eastern rivers-- Beas, Ravi and Sutlej.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the government has decided to stop "our share of water that used to flow to Pakistan", a week after 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama. The minister added that the government would divert water from eastern rivers to Jammu and Kashmir.
In his tweet, Mr Gadkari talked about the UJH project to store India's share of water for use in Jammu and Kashmir. The balance water will flow from second Ravi-Beas Link to provide water to other basin states, he said.
The sharing of water of the six rivers-- Indus, Chenab, Jhelum, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej-- between India and Pakistan is governed by a treaty the two countries signed in 1960. The deal was brokered by the World Bank after nine years of negotiation.
Under the treaty, India has control over water flowing in the eastern rivers-- Beas, Ravi and Sutlej. Pakistan has control over the western rivers-- Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
Of the total 168 million acre-feet, India's share of water from the three allotted rivers is 33 million acre-feet, which constitutes nearly 20 per cent. India uses nearly 93-94 per cent of its share under the Indus Waters Treaty. The rest of the water remains unutilised and goes to Pakistan.
As per the treaty, the water commissioners of Pakistan and India are required to meet twice a year and arrange technical visits to projects' sites and critical river head works. Both the sides share details of the water flow and the quantum of water being used under the treaty.
The treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers.
After the Uri attack in 2016, India suspended talks of Indus water commission and fast-tracked water projects to arrest the unutilised water. The three projects include the Shahpur-Kandi dam project, a second Sutlej-Beas link in Punjab and the UJH Dam project in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Gadkari today tweeted about the projects.
"The construction of dam has started at Shahpur- Kandi on Ravi river. Moreover, UJH project will store our share of water for use in J&K and the balance water will flow from 2nd Ravi-BEAS Link to provide water to other basin states," he wrote today.