Pakistani team inspects artificial lake site in Jammu

JAMMU - A team of Pakistani experts Sunday inspected the site of a proposed artificial lake on the Tawi river near Jammu to see if did not contravene the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.

The Pakistani team sought details from the Indian authorities about the size of the lake and its water storage capacity.

“We are here to see what project is being undertaken, whether it affects the Indus Water Treaty or not,” said Sheraz Jamil Memon, the leader of three-member team, while talking to media persons after visiting the site.

He said that the Pakistani team also needed some evidence from the Indian side affirming that the lake was not violating the Indus Waters Treaty, but did not elaborate.

The Tawi river is a major tributary of the Chenab river, which is governed under the treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960 between India and Pakistan, and entitling Pakistan to have monitoring rights on the usage of three rivers - Chenab, Indus and Jhelum, all flowing from Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan and India having all the rights over three other rivers, Ravi, Beas and Satluj.

Indian authorities, however, described the visit of Pakistani team as a “routine one”.

“There is nothing extraordinary in it. We go to Pakistan to see their projects, they come here to see our projects,” said C.Ranganathan, the Indian commissioner of the Indus Water Commission.