Opinion Poll...
Should Rly minister be allowed to hold meeting in Lalgarh? |
|
Pakistan now unleashes a 'water war' in J&K |
| Category »
Nation Posted On Sunday, March 14, 2010 | Agencies
New Delhi, Mar 14:
In a move that's angered officials here, Islamabad has sought to ratchet up what it calls the "water controversy" by asking New Delhi to undertake "no construction of power generation works" on its western rivers. This, essentially, means no projects in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources said this message came for Pakistan in a "non-paper" during the Foreign Secretary-level talks a fortnight ago.
The non-paper comes after Islamabad's objections to the Kishenganga hydro-electric project and its earlier effort to scuttle the Baglihar project which the World Bank-appointed neutral observer settled in India's favour in 2007.
It may be noted that this was done in accordance with the dispute-resolution mechanism spelt out in the Indus Waters Treaty. In fact, Pakistan's documented set of concerns in the recently concluded talks do not go beyond regular complaints about delays in sharing data.
Still, the issue, which has now turned into an anti-India campaign -championed by none other than the likes of Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud Dawa -prompted the Pak government to make specific suggestions.
The key ones: 1. Full and timely communication of design information and data by India to Pakistan on new power-generation plants and irrigation works on western rivers. New Delhi has provided information on all 33 hydro-power projects on western rivers Chenab, Jhelum and Indus. As for irrigation, India has underutilized its rights -- using water to irrigate just about 0.8 million acres as against the permissible limit of about 1.35 million acres. Officials say India can build as many as run-of-the river hydro-power projects and needs to provide information six months before work begins.
|
 Print
|  Mail it
|
|
Sunday, August 01, 2010