Following disruptions in the Chenab River, the Jhelum River is also experiencing disrupted flows due to the abrupt holding and releasing of water by Indian authorities. Yesterday, the Foreign Office sought clarification from India via a letter over a sudden variation in the Chenab River’s flow, which badly affected wheat and other crops being fed through the Marala-Ravi link and other canals in various parts of Punjab. The office of the Pakistan Commissioner on Indus Waters said that the Jhelum River was experiencing reduced inflow from upstream in India to downstream at Mangla Dam. “It is really serious and alarming because around 15 million of the total 25 million acres of agricultural land, which is irrigated through various canals, is receiving either less water or no water these days,” a senior official of the irrigation department explained, expressing concern. A photo of the the Victoria Bridge over the Jhelum River. — Photo by Sajida Ali According to an internal report, on December 14, the inflows and outflows of the Jhelum River at Mangla stood at 5,000 and 33,000 cusecs, respectively. However, inflows decreased to 3,300 cusecs on December 15 and remained at that level until December 19, while outflows remained at 33,000 cusecs. Water flow at the same time last year was recorded at inflows of 4,400 cusecs and outflows of 25,000 cusecs. “The data at the Kerot Hydropower Project, which comes just before Mangla Dam in Pakistan, is nearly identical. This indicates the abrupt holding and release of water by Indian authorities in their territory,” a senior official of the Private Power Infrastructure Board, which regulates the Kerot project, said. “It is a serious matter,” he warned. According to another senior official of the irrigation department, Indian authorities are controlling and disrupting the rivers’ flows by holding and releasing water from their run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants. “The River Jhelum, through Mangla Dam, the Rasool Barrage, and various link canals, is irrigating a huge chunk of land in Punjab,” he said. “The Chenab at Marala and various link canals also irrigate a considerable area of land,” the official explained, adding that the disruption of flows by Indian authorities is severely affecting crops. “India had also caused problems for us during the recent floods by abruptly releasing water without informing us,” the official added. Water flow in Chenab stabilises However, the Ministry of Water Resources said today that water levels in the Chenab River have stabilised, after they plummeted due to variation in river flow. The ministry, in a statement, said that the Punjab government‘s irrigation department was monitoring river flow in the Chenab from Marala headworks, with data showing that the river’s discharge stabilised after “a significant period of volatility”. “Hydrological records from the first half of December 2025 confirm that an extraordinary reduction in flows was observed, persisting from December 10 to December 16,” the statement read. It added that from December 8-13, satellite imagery showed a reduction in surface area in India’s Balighar reservoir, before it began increasing again. “This reduction, followed by [an] increase in the surface area of Baglihar reservoir, leads to believe that India has emptied Baglihar reservoir followed by its refilling,“ the statement read, adding that under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India cannot empty dead storage reservoirs at run-of-the-river hydroelectric plants. “Pakistan’s commissioner for Indus waters has taken up the matter with the Indian commissioner for Indus waters and asked for the details [and] data relating to extraordinary reduction in flows of Chenab River, under the framework of the [IWT],” the statement read. The ministry noted that a positive shift in water levels occurred on December 17, rising to 6,399 cusecs by 7am. “Punjab Irrigation Department data indicates that as of December 19, 2025, the river flows are presently within the last ten-year range of maximum to minimum flows,” the statement read. “Punjab Irrigation Department data indicates that as of December 19, 2025, the river flows are presently within the last ten-year range of maximum to minimum flows.” The ministry added that water levels in rivers will be continuously monitored to make sure that water management strategies adapt to any future fluctuations. In April, India had held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the attack on tourists in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share under the treaty an “act of war” , noting the treaty had no provision for unilateral suspension. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. In June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) — an organisation that provides a framework for international disputes — issued a Supplemental Award of Competence, stating that India cannot unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance. The supplemental award was issued in a 2023 case that Pakistan brought to the PCA over the design of Indian hydropower projects on rivers that were awarded to Pakistan under the treaty.