New Delhi: India has significantly reduced water flow to Pakistan by closing sluice gates at the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu, and is preparing to implement similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River in north Kashmir, according to official sources.
Sources cited by PTI confirmed that these hydroelectric facilities provide India with the technical capability to regulate water release timing, which it is now leveraging following heightened tensions with Pakistan.
A National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) official told the Hindustan Times that de-silting operations began at Baglihar after a week of hydrological testing. The sluice gates were lowered over the weekend, cutting downstream flow by up to 90%.
“Gates of the Baglihar power project were closed as part of routine de-silting. The reservoir now needs to be refilled,” a second NHPC official explained.
The Kishanganga Dam, located in the Gurez Valley of north Kashmir, is also scheduled for major maintenance, during which all downstream flow will be stopped, the report added.
These developments come days after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised objections to the designs and water control mechanisms of both Baglihar and Kishanganga dams. The current actions are expected to further escalate diplomatic tensions between the two countries over shared river resources.
