Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally for Haryana Assembly election on Tuesday, renewed the threat that India would move towards full utilisation of its share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Water is an emotive issue in Haryana- a predominantly agricultural state, where Services, however, contributes maximum (52 per cent) in total gross domestic product GDP) - as it is in the regions of Pakistan, which is fed by the rivers of Indus drainage system.
Haryana, too, gets water from the Indus drainage system and is slated to gain majorly if India utilises its full quota of Indus Waters Treaty.
"For the last 70 years, the waters that belonged to India and farmers of Haryana were going to Pakistan. Modi will stop it and bring it to your households," the prime minister said in Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, before adding, "This water belongs to farmers of Haryana, Rajasthan and the country, and we will get it. Work towards the realisation of this has been started and I am committed towards it. Modi will fight your battle."
This is bound to generate a favourable narrative for the BJP in Haryana Assembly election. According to the Union agriculture ministry, around 80 per cent population of Haryana depends on agriculture.
But, this will be resented by Pakistan, where about 90 per cent of agriculture is dependent on the waters flowing through the maze of rivers of the Indus drainage system.
India and Pakistan signed a treaty for sharing of water of the rivers of the Indus drainage system in 1960. The agreement, mediated by the World Bank, is known as the Indus Waters Treaty.
Under this treaty, Pakistan got a favourable division of waters of the six rivers of the Indus system. India is allocated the waters of the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi - the three less voluminous eastern tributaries of the Indus. More voluminous rivers, the Indus and its western tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab went to Pakistan.