Following the Pulwama bombing in 2019, Nitin Gadkari, then Minister of Roads and Water Resources, said that all the water currently flowing through the three eastern rivers to Pakistan is diverted to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan for various purposes. [73] Lilienthal`s idea was well received by World Bank officials (then the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), and then by the Indian and Pakistani authorities. Eugene R. Black, then president of the World Bank, told Lilienthal that his proposal made “all its sense.” Black wrote that the Bank was interested in the economic progress of both countries and was concerned that the dispute over the industrials would be a serious handicap for this development. India`s previous objections to third-party arbitration were resolved by the bank`s insistence not to resolve the dispute, but to work as a channel for an agreement. [38] While the Indian side was part of the World Bank`s proposal, Pakistan found it unacceptable. The World Bank has attributed the eastern rivers to India and the western rivers to Pakistan. This new distribution did not take into account the historical use of the Indus Basin, nor the fact that the eastern regions of Punjab could be turned into deserts and rejected Pakistan`s negotiating position. Where India was in favour of a new allocation system, Pakistan felt that its share in the waters should be based on distribution prior to division. The World Bank`s proposal was more in line with the Indian plan, which angered the Pakistani delegation.
They threatened to withdraw from the working group and the negotiations were on the verge of collapse. The industrial river system supports nearly 210 MF of average annual flows, of which India is capable of exploiting nearly 31 MF (15% of the total) of the three eastern rivers. [7] Water over rim stations (7 MAF at Madhopur`s main plants in the Ravi Basin, 13 MAF in Mandi Plain/Harike-Hauptwerken in the Beas Basin and 14 MF for Ropar stations in the Sutlej Basin) is 34 MF which excludes water available in the downstream areas of these rim stations. With the exception of the floods released by Madhopur`s preliminary work in the Ravi River downstream, an additional 4,549 MAF waters are available over an average year between the Madhopur headwork and the last border crossing (Ravi syphon) to Pakistan, which is not yet used by India and which is also flowing to Pakistan. [74] Flooding is also pouring from Hussainiwala, Pakistan, which is the terminal dam on the Sutlej River in India. In addition, India has the right to use the waters of the Western River for limited agricultural uses and unlimited domestic production, non-consumer, hydroelectric, etc. [75] [76] Until 2019, India uses 31 MAFs on its part and nearly 7.5 MAF of India`s unused shares in the Pakistani area downstream of the Ravin and Sutlej rivers. India is implementing three projects to exploit its entire share in the eastern rivers, (a) Shahpurkandi dam project on the Ravi River (b) the second Ravi-Beas link in Punjab and c) the Ujh Dam project on the Ujh River in Jammu and Kashmir. [77] This water will be used by Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and Delhi along with the northern hillsides. [78] India and Pakistan were on the brink of war for Kashmir. It did not seem to be possible to negotiate on this subject until tensions subsided. One way to reduce hostility .
. . will focus on other important issues on which cooperation is possible. Progress in these areas would foster a sense of community between the two nations that, over time, could lead to a colony of Kashmir.