Context: Recently, India has refused a request by Pakistan to hold a meeting on issues around the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) at the Attari checkpost near the India-Pakistan border.
About Indus Water Treaty
- The IWT came into existence in 1960 which was orchestrated by the World Bank.
- Under the treaty, India got the control over Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, and Pakistan got control over Chenab, Jhelum and Indus.
- India is under obligation to let flow the waters of the Western Rivers except for domestic use, non-consumptive use, agricultural use as specified and generation of hydro-electric power as specified.
- India has the right to build run-of-the-river (RoR) projects on the three ‘western’ rivers i.e. the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus, provided it does so without substantially impeding water flow in Pakistan downstream.