Pakistan has accused India of violating the Indus Waters Treaty by withholding critical dam data and suddenly releasing massive volumes of water into the Sutlej River, which worsened the ongoing flood crisis across Punjab.
Officials have termed this act as “water terrorism,” claiming that timely water release could have prevented large-scale devastation.
Evidence from official documents
According to official documents, India’s dams were already 43% full on July 25 and rose to 55% by August 1. Despite rising water levels, New Delhi did not share any information with Islamabad, as required under the Indus Waters Treaty.
On August 17, India had become aware of the cloudburst. Between August 17 and 20, cloudbursts hit catchment areas of the Ravi and Sutlej rivers, leading to flooding in the upper regions of occupied Kashmir. By August 22, India’s dams had reached 87% capacity, yet no controlled release was made.
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Experts argue that if India had gradually released water between August 1 and 22, the current flood situation in Pakistan could have been avoided.
First warning came too late
It wasn’t until August 26 that India finally issued a diplomatic warning to Pakistan -- its first official communication regarding rising dam levels. Shockingly, this warning coincided with the sudden release of 100,000 cusecs of water into the Sutlej River, overwhelming downstream areas.
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“The delayed communication and abrupt release of such a massive water flow is nothing short of water terrorism,” a senior Pakistani official said.
Violation of treaty and SOPs
The Indus Waters Treaty requires India to maintain dams at safe levels and share data with Pakistan, particularly during flood season. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) also mandate keeping dams partially empty to manage sudden inflows.
However, Pakistan alleges India did not follow these rules, choosing instead to silently fill its reservoirs until they reached dangerous levels, ignoring the looming risk of flooding.
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As per the documents, India neither informed Pakistan nor did it release controlled water to empty the dams.
Flood devastation in Pakistan
The sudden release of water has already displaced thousands across Punjab, inundating homes, destroying crops, and collapsing infrastructure. Local communities have described the flood as a “man-made disaster” that could have been mitigated with proper coordination.
Authorities in Pakistan are now calling for stronger international oversight of the Indus Waters Treaty to prevent future violations.
