The Indus Waters Treaty and the eastern rivers

The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, brokered by the World Bank, divided the six rivers of the Indus system between India and Pakistan. The three eastern rivers — the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — were allocated to India for unrestricted use, while the three western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — were largely allocated to Pakistan, with India permitted limited non-consumptive use. The significance of a project on a Ravi tributary follows directly from that division: water in the eastern rivers is India's to use, but water that flows downstream unused crosses the border and is lost to India without any treaty obligation being served. Successive governments have therefore pursued storage and diversion works on the eastern rivers to capture the share the treaty already assigns to India. That is the strategic dimension of the Ujh project, and why it is described as regulating flows rather than merely generating power.