Under the Indus Water Treaty, the three eastern rivers were ceded to India on the understanding that the canals in north and south Punjab, thus deprived of water from Ravi and Sutlej, would get replacement water from the remaining three rivers of which Indus is the only one with surplus annual flows. The framers of IWT saw Pakistan as one country where if one part was deprived of water, water would be available to it from another part. They did not see Pakistan in terms of Punjab and Sindh.
Under the Treaty, Mangla dam was built to replace the waters lost to India. Tarbela dam was built to increase water supplies by 25 percent. CJ and TP link canals were taken out from the Indus to feed south Punjab. A future left bank canal at Kalabagh dam was to feed north Punjab. Without this transfer of water from one part of Pakistan to the other, the very basis of the Indus Water Treaty is nullified.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
