Pakistani team to inspect Baglihar Dam

  • 07/10/2008

  • Business Recorder (Pakistan)

Pakistan Indus Water Commission (PIWC) delegation will travel to India on October 18 at the invitation of the Indian government for physical inspection of the controversial Baglihar Dam on river Chenab in Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah told Business Recorder here on Monday that he had conveyed the proposed dates of Pakistan delegation's visit to India, and asked the Indian Indus Water Commission to convene a meeting and arrange the inspection of the dam. Shah said India stored more than 200,000 cusecs water in the run of the river dam in the month of September in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty 1960 and caused colossal economic losses to Pakistan. Pakistan had sought a report from India regarding filling, inflow and outflow of water from Baglihar Dam, but the report had not been provided until now. Irrigation officials say that Pakistan, being a low riparian and badly affected party, has been protesting to India over the violation of Indus Basin Water Treaty and water blockade at a critical period of Kharif crops maturity. President Asif Zardari took up the water issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session late last month conveying Pakistan's reservations over the stoppage of water at the Baglihar hydropower project. It was in this meeting that both Pakistan and India agreed to resolve the issue under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 by convening a meeting of the commission. Shah said that Pakistan had suffered losses due to the untimely stoppage of water in river Chenab for Kharif crops, therefore, "we will demand compensation for the losses". Pakistan has calculated losses in terms of the water shortage it suffered, but there is no official figure as far as the financial losses are concerned. The Baglihar Dam was constructed by India on the Chenab in held Kashmir, and has been controversial since the very first day.