India Uses Water as Weapon: Salal Dam Release Puts Pakistan’s Chenab at Risk

LAHORE, August 30, 2025 — India has once again released a massive quantity of water into the Chenab River by opening all gates of the Salal Dam, sending a flood wave of nearly 800,000 cusecs towards Pakistan without prior notification. The move has raised serious concerns in Pakistan, where authorities have already been battling the country’s worst flood crisis in history.

Sudden Release Without Warning

• According to officials, India did not provide prior notice before discharging this extraordinary volume of water — a step viewed in Islamabad as a clear violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
• The Chenab River at Head Marala, which was flowing at a normal level, is now expected to surge significantly, threatening towns and villages downstream.

PDMA Issues High Alert

• The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued a high alert, placing all departments, irrigation officials, and local administrations on emergency footing.
• Announcements were made from mosques in low-lying areas urging families to evacuate immediately and move to safer ground.

Floods Already at Crisis Levels

• The situation comes as Pakistan is already dealing with record-breaking floods along the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers, worsened by continuous monsoon rains and earlier water releases by India.
• Millions have been displaced, crops submerged, and homes destroyed, creating what Punjab’s leadership has called the largest flood disaster in living memory.

Broader Context: Water as a Weapon

• The Indus Waters Treaty (1960) requires both countries to coordinate and inform each other about major water releases. Pakistan has accused India of “water aggression” by using dam operations as a political tool.
• Tensions remain high after New Delhi suspended treaty cooperation earlier this year following an April 2025 incident.
• Islamabad views India’s repeated sudden water discharges not just as negligence, but as part of a deliberate pattern of pressure tactics in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.

Humanitarian Fallout

• Relief efforts are already overstretched. With the fresh flood wave expected to hit southern Punjab in the coming hours, authorities fear more displacement, loss of life, and agricultural devastation.
• Officials have called on the international community to take note of India’s violations and prevent the weaponization of shared water resources in South Asia.

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