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Recently, the Standing Committee on Water Resources submitted its 12th report to the Lok Sabha.
Issues Highlighted by the report
- Change in rainfall patterns
- There is a change in rainfall patterns. There are instances of more high-intensity rainfall as well as long stretches where there is low rainfall.
- Glacial melt
- The second major change is glacial melt. The contribution of glaciers in the Indus basin is higher than in the Ganges or Brahmaputra basins.
- Because there is a fragile Himalayan region involved, there is a greater frequency of landslides and flash floods.
- The second major change is glacial melt. The contribution of glaciers in the Indus basin is higher than in the Ganges or Brahmaputra basins.
- Maintenance of Canals
- India was able to make full use of the ‘Eastern Rivers’ through a series of dams such as Ranjit Sagar on the Ravi in Pathankot, Pong on the Beas and Bhakra Nangal on the Satluj.
- However, it was observed that canals in Punjab and Rajasthan such as the Rajasthan Feeder and the Sirhind Feeder had become old and were not maintained properly.
- This had resulted in the lowering of their water carrying capacity.
- Thus, the water from the Harike Barrage on the confluence of the Beas and Satluj in Punjab was usually released downstream into Pakistan.
Recommendations of the Report
- The Government of India should renegotiate the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan in the light of present-day challenges such as climate change, global warming and environmental impact assessment .
- There is a need to establish some kind of institutional structure or legislative framework to address the impact of climate change on water availability in the Indus basin and other challenges which are not covered under the Treaty.
- The committee urged the Centre to expedite new projects like the one on the Ujh, a tributary of the Ravi, as well as the Shahpurkandi on the Ravi itself to exploit the full potential of the rivers for irrigation and other purposes.
- It also recommended that the canal systems in Punjab and Rajasthan be repaired to increase their water carrying capacity.
Indus Water Treaty(IWT)
Concerns Highlighted
Way Forward
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Source: DTH
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