Pakistan's Indus basin faces 15% water flow decline, reservoirs at critical levels: Report 

Water flow in Pakistan's Indus basin has dropped sharply, CNN-News18 reported on Sunday, citing official Pakistani data that shows a 15% decline in releases from key dams compared to the same period last year. The steep drop has pushed major reservoirs close to their dead storage levels, sparking concern ahead of the critical Kharif crop season.

On June 5, the total water released in Pakistan's Punjab was 1.24 lakh cusecs — down from 1.44 lakh cusecs recorded on the same date last year. At Tarbela dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the water level stood at 1,465 metres, just above the dead level of 1,402 metres.

The Chasma dam on the Indus in Punjab was at 644 metres, close to its dead level of 638 metres. At the Mangla dam on the Jhelum in Mirpur, the level dropped to 1,163 metres, nearing its 1,050-metre threshold.

The situation is particularly grave at Marala in Sialkot, where the Chenab River's mean discharge fell dramatically from 26,645 cusecs on May 28 to just 3,064 cusecs by June 5, the report said. Below the dead level, water cannot be drained from a reservoir by gravity, making these drops operationally critical.

"The situation in Pakistan is clearly grave, especially for the late Kharif season from June till September," a government official told News18. Pakistan now anticipates a 21% water shortage during the early Kharif period, which ends June 10. The shortfall puts at risk agricultural output in Punjab, the country's food bowl.

Compounding the water stress, a severe heatwave is forecast across large parts of Pakistan starting June 8, with daytime temperatures expected to rise 5 to 7°C above normal across central and upper Punjab, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ever since India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan has written to New Delhi multiple times to reconsider the decision. The Hindustan Times recently reported that Pakistan's water resources secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza, wrote 4 times to India's Jal Shakti Ministry. In these letters written after Operation Sindoor, Murtaza sought a review of the decision to suspend the IWT.

Pakistan has repeatedly said India cannot unilaterally suspend the treaty and that this violates the pact's provisions, the report said citing sources. India formally communicated its decision to hold the treaty in abeyance to Pakistan on April 24.

Despite communications from Pakistan seeking a resolution, India has maintained its stance. An official reiterated on April 29 that India "remains firm on its decision" and would not engage in discussions until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures cross-border terrorism."