Pakistani Data Shows 15% Indus Basin Water Flow Drop In Punjab, Dams Near Dead Level | Exclusive

Last Updated:June 08, 2025, 08:00 IST

On June 5, water release dropped to 1.24 lakh cusecs, compared to 1.44 lakh cusecs on the same date last year in Pakistan’s Punjab, the latest data shows

The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably between India and Pakistan. (Representational image: PTI)

Official Pakistani data reviewed by CNN-News18 shows a sharp drop in water flow from Pakistan’s dams in the Indus basin due to India’s move to control the tap on the western rivers. There is a nearly 15% drop in water released by Pakistan from its various dams this week, compared to the same period last year.

On June 5, water release dropped to 1.24 lakh cusecs, compared to 1.44 lakh cusecs on the same date last year in Pakistan’s Punjab, the latest data shows. The Indus level at Tarbela dam in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is down to 1,465 metres, while the dead level is 1,402 metres. At Chasma dam in Punjab on the Indus, the water level is at 644 metres, just above the dead level of 638 metres. The Mangla dam on the Jhelum in Mirpur is at a level of 1,163 metres, just above the 1,050-metre dead level.

The dead level means that below that level, there are no outlets to drain the water in the reservoir by gravity.

“The situation in Pakistan is clearly grave, especially for the late Kharif season from June till September," a top government source told CNN-News18. The situation may improve slightly after the monsoon arrives, but Pakistan’s Kharif crop in Punjab is at stake, the source said.

Pakistan anticipates a 21% water shortage due to India’s steps in the early Kharif season, which lasts until June 10. The situation is particularly grave at Marala in Sialkot, Punjab, where the mean discharge on the Chenab dropped to just 3,064 cusecs on June 5 from 26,645 cusecs on May 28, Pakistani data shows.

Making matters worse in Pakistan, a severe heatwave is predicted from June 8, with daytime temperatures 5 to 7°C above normal in central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. In a statement last month, Pakistan said a “crisis had been created by Indian short supplies in Chenab River", and this would lead to shortages in the Kharif season. Pakistan has termed India’s steps an “act of war" and warned that the next conflict could be over water.

CNN-News18 was the first to report two days ago that Pakistan has so far sent four letters expressing concerns over the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and urging India to reconsider the decision. India has made it clear that the treaty would remain in abeyance and that “water and blood cannot flow together".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on May 27 that India’s people had a right to water. “Should they get their rightful share of water or not? And I haven’t done much yet. Right now, we have said that we have kept it (Indus Waters Treaty) in abeyance. They are terrified there, and we have started cleaning by opening the dam a little bit; we are removing the rubbish that was there," the PM said in Gujarat.

India and Pakistan signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960, with the World Bank as an additional signatory. The pact sought to divide the water of the Indus river and its tributaries equitably between the two countries. Under the treaty, water from three eastern rivers—Beas, Ravi, and Sutlej—was allocated to India, and that from the three western rivers—Chenab, Indus, and Jhelum—to Pakistan. The treaty also permitted both nations to use the other’s rivers for certain purposes, such as small hydroelectric projects that require little or no water storage.

“I want to tell the new generation how the country has been ruined. The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960. If you go into its details, you will be shocked. It has even been decided that the cleaning work of the dams built on other rivers of Jammu and Kashmir will not be done. Desilting will not be done. The gates downstream for cleaning will not be opened. These gates were not opened for 60 years, and the water that should have been filled with 100% water gradually reduced to 2%-3%," the PM had said.

Aman Sharma

Aman Sharma, Executive Editor - National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office....Read More

Aman Sharma, Executive Editor - National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister’s Office....

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News world Pakistani Data Shows 15% Indus Basin Water Flow Drop In Punjab, Dams Near Dead Level | Exclusive