In a significant development, India has contacted Pakistan to warn of potential major flooding in the Tawi River near Jammu, marking the first major communication between the two countries since a military standoff in May.
According to Geo News, the alert, delivered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on Sunday, August 24th, comes after India suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in April following an attack in Pahalgam, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
The communication, according to sources, prompted Pakistani authorities to issue their own flood warnings. The May standoff, which involved heavy military engagement, was eventually brokered by the US into a ceasefire.
The IWT, a 1960 agreement mediated by the World Bank, governs the sharing of water from rivers flowing from India into Pakistan’s Indus River basin.
India’s suspension of the treaty, based on accusations of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism (which Pakistan denies), raised concerns about potential disruptions to water flow and Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
While the immediate impact on water flow is not expected to be significant due to India’s limited storage capacity, the suspension prevents the sharing of crucial flood information and data, and could lead to uncertainty in Pakistan’s agricultural systems.Pakistan has strongly criticized India’s suspension of the IWT, emphasizing the treaty’s binding nature and lack of provisions for unilateral suspension.
Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on Pakistan’s agriculture, which heavily relies on the Indus River system. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors over water resources and the broader geopolitical context. A recent June ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague favored Pakistan, reinforcing the treaty’s continued validity and rejecting India’s unilateral actions. Despite this, the recent flood warning underscores the precarious nature of the situation and the importance of continued communication, however strained, under the IWT framework.
