PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION

PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION

Subject : International Agreements

Context : The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan will meet here on March 23 and 24 to discuss a host of issues, including Islamabad’s concerns to the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab River, a top official said on Sunday.

Concept :

• The Permanent Indus Commission is a bilateral commission of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage goals of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.
• The Commission according to the treaty must meet regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.

The functions of the Commission are:

• to study and report to the two Governments on any problem relating to the development on the waters of the rivers.
• to solve disputes arising over water sharing.
• to arrange technical visits to projects’ sites and critical river head works.
• to undertake, once in every five years, a general tour of inspection of the Rivers for ascertaining the facts.
• to take necessary steps for the implementation of the provisions of the treaty.

Indus Water Treaty

• It is a treaty brokered by the World Bank and signed by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan which administers how the waters of the Indus and its tributaries that flow in both the countries will be utilized.
• According to the treaty, waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi had been allocated to India, while the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan. However, since Indus flows from India, the country is allowed to use 20 percent of its water for irrigation, power generation and transport purposes.
• A Permanent Indus Commission was set up as a bilateral commission to implement and manage the Treaty.
• The Treaty also provides arbitration mechanism to solve disputes amicably.