An arbitration proceeding will commence over contentious hydropower projects at the Hague today. Pakistan has objected to the World Bank over the design of the run-of-river Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects.
India is constructing the 850 MW Ratle hydropower project across the Chenab River in addition to the 330 MW Kishenganga hydropower plant on the River Jhelum.
Pakistan claimed that the Indus Water Treaty between the two countries Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects could have an impact on the flow of water entering Pakistan.
According to sources, an arbitrator was selected to settle the conflict with the help of the World Bank.
According to sources, a delegation from Pakistan attended the arbitration hearing in The Hague under the leadership of Hassan Nasir Jami, Pakistan’s secretary for water resources.
According to sources, the deliberation included Syed Mahar Ali Shah, Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner, and representatives of the Attorney General’s office.
According to sources, the arbitrator will hear the matter through February 28.
Indus Water Treaty
India and Pakistan have a water-sharing agreement called the Indus Water Treaty. India and Pakistan signed the agreement on September 19, 1960, thanks to World Bank mediation. The rights and obligations of both nations for the use of the waters of the Indus River system were established and outlined in the treaty.
The Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers are under Indian authority under the treaty, whereas the western rivers are under Pakistani control (the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum).
Pakistan formally challenged the World Bank Arbitration Court on the disputed design of India’s water projects on August 19, 2016. In March 2022, the World Bank began the procedure to set up the court.
The Indus River begins in China’s Tibet Autonomous Area in the southwest and empties into the Arabian Sea after passing through the contentious Kashmir region and Pakistan. Several tributaries connect it, most notably the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers, which are located in the eastern Punjab Plain.
