India is working to ensure "not a single drop of water" will flow into neighbouring Pakistan, the water minister has said, after New Delhi suspended a major treaty last year. Pakistan has previously said it would consider any attempt to change the flow of cross-border waterways as an "act of war", and says that the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) remains in force as there is no mechanism to unilaterally withdraw from it.
Minister's Statement
"It is certain, not a single drop of water will go (to Pakistan) in the coming years," Minister of Water CR Patil told India's ANI news agency late Tuesday. Patil, speaking in Hindi, said that India is "actively working on it" after "directives" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Treaty and Context
The treaty governs the use of water from six rivers, whose headwaters originate in India but flow into Pakistan as part of the Indus basin, a resource relied on by hundreds of millions. India said in May 2025 that it suspended its IWT membership, after accusing Islamabad of backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) – charges Pakistan categorically denied.
The issue of water has remained a bitter point of contention since. Earlier this month, Pakistan accused India of wanting to "weaponise" water, after two initiatives were announced by New Delhi on the section of the Chenab River it controls.
Recent Developments
In May, India's government-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation issued a tender notice for a proposed tunnel project that would transfer water from the Chenab River to the Beas Basin. India's power ministry said in January it was undertaking "sediment removal" at Salal Power Station on the Chenab River, following the termination of the IWT.
Experts say that India's existing dams do not have the capacity to block or divert water, and can only regulate the timing of when it releases flows. Cutting flows would have serious implications for Pakistan's agriculture and overall economy, but any project would take several years before they have an impact. An official in IIOJK said that any work would "not be possible to start before mid-2027" and would take at least five years to complete.
