Prelims Perspective: What needs to be learned?

• Indus Water Treaty
• Chenab River

Mains Perspective: Notes need to be prepared

• Chenab River  (GS I -Geography)
• Bilateral Agreement (GS II – International Relations)

What needs to be known?

• Indus Water Treaty (IWT)
  • It was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan with World Bank mediation, allocating waters of the Indus River system to resolve post-partition disputes.
  • India controls the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) for unrestricted use.
  • Pakistan manages the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), allocated 80%, with India permitted limited irrigation and unlimited non-consumptive uses like hydropower.
  • India has suspended the IWT in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025.
• Chenab River
  • Origin: The Chenab originates from near the Bara Lacha Pass in the Zaskar Range.
  • Formation: The Chenab River is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers.
  • Passing Region: It flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of Punjab in Pakistan
  • Fact: The river is crossed in Jammu and Kashmir by the world’s highest railway bridge, named Chenab Bridge.
  • Major Dam: Sala Project

Source: The Hindu