In a concerning development, India has reportedly sped up work on a controversial project aimed at diverting the Chenab River towards the Ravi and Beas rivers. According to Pakistani water expert Engineer Arshad H. Abbasi, this move poses a serious threat to Pakistan’s water security and violates the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty.
In his latest report, Abbasi alerted the Pakistani government about India’s efforts to link the Chenab with the Beas through the Jaspa Dam. The project, first funded in India’s 2011–2012 budget, includes the construction of a 23-kilometer-long concrete tunnel. This tunnel connects the Chenab to the Solang Nala, which ultimately flows into the Ravi, enabling water diversion toward the Ranjit Sagar Dam.
The Chenab River, also known as the “River of the Moon,” flows through Himachal Pradesh for only 130 kilometers—just a fraction of its 61,000 square kilometer basin. Despite this limited stretch, India is constructing 49 hydropower projects in the region. Experts believe this threatens the ecological balance and natural flow of one of South Asia’s last relatively free-flowing rivers.
India has already completed major tunneling projects, including the 9.7-kilometer Bagru Nalla tunnel—the largest in the country—and is finalizing the 14.2-kilometer Zoji La tunnel in the Himalayas. Abbasi fears the same technology and expertise could now be used to divert Chenab’s waters toward the Beas and Ravi rivers.
Such a diversion could redirect water to the Ranjit Sagar Dam, built on the Ravi River in 2001. This raises serious concerns about India’s intentions and highlights growing tensions over water resources between the two neighboring countries. Abbasi has urged immediate diplomatic and legal action by Pakistan to safeguard its share of river waters.