 Early Times Report
Jaipur, Feb 7: Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil on Saturday said that water from the Indus River will not be allowed to flow to Pakistan, as the Centre has made all the preparations to divert it for India’s benefit.
Patil, while talking to reporters at the BJP headquarters in Jaipur said, “A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared to ensure proper water diversion. Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Delhi will gain from the additional water.”
He also highlighted that work on the Yamuna water project would be expedited to improve water management in beneficiary states.
“Significant technical work has been undertaken to ensure Rajasthan receives its share of surplus water. The DPR for the revised plan has been received and is under examination,” Patil said.
He added that Haryana and Rajasthan have agreed to cooperate in preparing DPRs, and the pipeline scheme is estimated to cost between Rs 77,000 crore and Rs 1 lakh crore.
Patil emphasized that the objective is to provide sufficient water for both agriculture and drinking purposes, regardless of which level of government invests.
He also noted that the Centre, for the first time, has offered up to 50 per cent financial assistance under the Jal Jeevan Mission to support states in delivering household water.
The Union Minister said previous regimes had made no concrete efforts to utilise water rights from the Indus and Yamuna, particularly for Rajasthan, which currently suffers the most acute water shortage but is expected to benefit substantially from the new projects.
He also mentioned progress in supplying Yamuna water to three districts in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region, with Haryana’s consent for the plan.
On broader economic matters, Patil claimed India’s economy has grown steadily over the past 12 years, and tax reforms have helped India become the world’s third-largest economy, in contrast to previous regimes.
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, is considered one of the most enduring and successful water-sharing agreements in the world.
It governs the use and distribution of waters from the six rivers of the Indus River system — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — which originate in the Himalayas and flow through both countries.
Under the treaty, the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — were allocated to Pakistan for unrestricted use, while India was granted control over the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
The western rivers, which flow through Jammu and Kashmir before entering Pakistan, have been a source of strategic significance for both countries.
In a historic and unprecedented move, India suspended the IWT on April 23, 2025, following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. |