July 22, 2025: Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and a vocal opponent of the 1960 Indus-Water Treaty, is hoping that the central government will authorize the completion of the Tulbul Navigation project in Kashmir and the redirection of water from the Chenab River to alleviate Jammu's water shortage. The Centre announced a slew of measures against Pakistan for supporting terrorist organizations and waging a proxy war against India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that resulted in the deaths of 26 people, the majority of whom were tourists. It included abiding by the Indus-Water Treaty of 1960. According to the treaty, India has unrestricted access to the waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — amounting to around 33 million acre-feet (MAF) annually, while Pakistan receives the majority of the water from the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab —totalling around 135 MAF annually.
In an interview, Chief Minister Abdullah said while the benefits of a full reversal of the IWT will take time, his government is focusing on medium-term projects that can begin immediately.
Abdullah has been vociferously opposing the treaty since he was the Minister of State of External Affairs, saying that the 1960 agreement was the “most unfair document” ever imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He described the IWT as a document that “essentially denied Jammu and Kashmir the opportunity to store water” and forced all power projects to be “run of the river”.
“We can’t suddenly build power projects and start storing water,” Abdullah said and acknowledged the long-term nature of such undertakings. "It will take some time before we begin to reap the benefits of the Indus water treaty." However, he highlighted two specific projects that he believes need to be taken up “immediately” — which include the revival of the Tulbul navigation barrage in Sopore.
This project, he explained, would not only enable the use of the Jhelum River for navigation but also “enable us to generate more electricity” in winter for all our downstream power projects, including Lower Jhelum and Uri hydroelectric projects.
The suggestion from the Jammu and Kashmir government to the Centre was to build drop gates at the Tulbul Navigation Project, also known as Wullar Barrage, located on the boundary of Bandipora and Sopore, so that the water level in the Jhelum River could be managed properly.
Work on the project was expedited by India following the Uri terror attack in 2016. Pakistani objections led to the initial suspension of this initiative in 1987. Pakistan declined to participate in the five meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission held between 2017 and 2022, despite India's efforts to resolve the issue. During the flood season in the Union territory, the barrage would also be especially useful in reducing water flow. The Tulbul project was conceived in 1986 so as to enable year-round flow of water in the Wular Lake for commercial and tourism purposes, which in turn would generate employment in Kashmir.
India opposed the Pakistani stand against the barrage, saying that construction of the Tulbul does not violate the treaty since the project is not a storage facility for either drinking water or irrigation but falls into the category of a regulating structure on water flows for non-consumptive use.
The second project is a vital water-lifting scheme from Akhnoor to provide a sustainable source of water for Jammu city, which is facing “increasing water shortages”.
Chenab is an ideal source, according to the chief minister, and this project could "feed Jammu for the next two to three decades." The chief minister responded, "we have already had the conversation," when asked if a formal proposal had been made to the Center. He also said that a senior advisor to the Prime Minister had recently visited the region to look at these particular projects related to the IWT. The advisor’s visit, Abdullah noted, signifies that the Centre may give its nod for the projects to move forward.
Lifting water from the Chenab River to ensure a better supply for Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir's winter capital, was the second short-term proposal. Jammu city lies on the banks of the Tawi river, which divides the old city on its eastern bank from the new on the west. The Tawi enters Pakistani Punjab from Jammu and Kashmir before eventually joining the Chenab River. The Chenab Water Supply Scheme, which aims to extract drinking water from the river and supply it to various areas of the Jammu district to meet the rising water requirements of the town, has been approved by the J&K government.