Centre eyes revival of Tulbul project: How India plans to maximize Indus water? Here's why it matters

Time of India

26-06-2025

NEW DELHI: The central government is looking to restart the long-delayed Tulbul Navigation Project as part of a larger strategy to maximise India's utilisation of water from the western rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty, news agency PTI reported citing senior official sources.
A comprehensive project report for the Tulbul initiative is currently in the works and is likely to take around a year to finalize. "Only after that will we take a decision," PTI reported quoting a senior official, noting that talks are already well advanced to revive the project.
The move comes amidst Prime Minister Narendra Modi's repeated resolves to use Indus waters for India. The government is working out a plan to utilise Indus river water for domestic purposes in four states—Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi.
Why the project is being revived?
India continues to grapple with limited water-storage capacity, particularly during the monsoon season—a challenge that affects its ability to fully utilise its share of water from the western rivers allocated under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
"In the rainy season, we have less capacity. During the dry season, we can hold a certain amount of water, particularly on the Chenab river," the official said. "If we get more water, it flows downstream to Pakistan," PTI reported quoting an official.
"We filled our dams and then flushed them to manage sediment. But under the treaty, there were some restrictions on flooding, which caused problems in sediment management. What we are doing now is essentially better dam and reservoir management," he added.
Meanwhile, PM Modi had also criticised the Treaty saying that it imposed restrictions preventing India from cleaning or desilting the dams on rivers in J&K. "I would like to tell the younger generation how this country was ruined.
A closer look at IWT will leave you shocked. It was decided that the dams built on the rivers of J&K would not be cleaned. Desilting would not be done. The lower gates for clearing sediments were to remain shut.
For 60 years, these gates were never opened. As a result, the reservoirs could effectively use only 2-3% of their storage capacity," he had said.
Why it matters?
The reports of Tulbul project revival comes after Union home minister Amit Shah outrightly dismissed any chances of restoration of the Indus Waters Treaty.
"It will never be restored. International treaties can't be annulled unilaterally but we had the right to put it in abeyance, which we have done. The treaty preamble mentions that it was for peace and progress of the two countries but once that has been violated, there is nothing left to protect," Shah had told TOI.
Under IWT, India had restricted rights over the western rivers—Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum—which largely flow into Pakistan.
The Treaty with Pakistan was put "under abeyance" after the Pahalgam terror attack.
However, officials indicated that multiple proposals were currently being explored to enhance India's utilisation of its entitled share from these rivers.
"There is potential to divert water from one of the western rivers, technically feasible, to Punjab and Haryana," PTI reported quoting an official, who added, that Indus river itself was being considered for diversion.
Moreover, the Kishanganga hydropower project, earlier challenged by Pakistan, has been successfully completed, while the construction of the Ratle project is now being fast-tracked.