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| The agreement regulates the use of water from six rivers originating in India (Photo: Insight UK) |
India's water minister said work is being done to ensure that "not a drop of water" goes to neighboring Pakistan.
Pakistan has previously said that any attempt to change the course of the transboundary rivers would be considered an "act of war" and says the 1960 Indus Water Treaty is still in force because there is no way to unilaterally withdraw from it.
According to the French news agency AFP, Water Minister C.R. Patel told the Indian news agency ANI on Tuesday evening that "it is certain that not a single drop of water will go (to Pakistan) in the coming years".
Patel said in Hindi that India was “actively working on this” under the “guidance” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The treaty regulates the use of water from six rivers that originate in India but flow into Pakistan and are part of the Indus basin, on which millions of people depend.
India said in May 2025 that it was suspending its membership of the Indus Water Treaty, a move rejected by Pakistan, after Islamabad was accused of supporting an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The nuclear-armed neighbors fought a four-day war that included drone, missile and artillery attacks, killing about 70 people on both sides. The water issue has been a bitter dispute ever since.
Earlier this month, Pakistan accused India of trying to “weaponize” water after New Delhi announced two projects on the stretch of the Chenab River it controls.
In May, India’s state-owned National Hydropower Corporation issued a tender notice for a proposed tunnel project that would transfer water from the Chenab River to the Beas Basin.
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| Blocking the flow of water would have serious consequences for Pakistan's agriculture and economy in general (Photo: AFP) |
After withdrawing from the Indus Waters Treaty, India's power ministry said in January it was "decommissioning" the Salal power plant on the Chenab River.
Experts say India's existing dams are unable to block or divert water, they can only regulate the timing of the flow.
Blocking the flow of water would have serious consequences for Pakistan's agriculture and economy in general, but any project would take years to become operational.
An official in Indian-administered Kashmir said any work "would not be possible before mid-2027" and would take at least five years to complete.
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