NEW DELHI: After suspending the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack, India is toying with jacking up the capacity of existing reservoirs on the Indus Basin rivers flowing into Pakistan and withholding key rainfall data in the basin area from that country.
India is mulling approval of a technical and financial feasibility study to increase the reservoir capacity, which will allow for more water storage and additional power generation.
Projects like Kishenganga hydel project can only store water for four hours using their Run-of-River systems. “Among the options being considered, increasing the storage capacity of our current reservoirs will serve as both an immediate and long-term action plan to hold our neighbour accountable for harbouring terrorism against India,” stated a senior official.
“After the suspension, we are not bound by any treaty and can take actions in the interest of our country to meet our energy requirements,” he added.
According to studies conducted by the jal shakti ministry, India can harness up to 20,000MW power under the Indus Water Treaty. However, the actual utilisation is relatively low, with experts estimating that India only uses about 10% of its total allowed capacity for non-consumption purposes — such as drinking, irrigation, and electricity generation — under the treaty.
An option India is also considering is refraining from sharing rainfall data in the basin region. “This would likely harm Pakistan, especially during the monsoon and in its aftermath,” the official said.