A delegation of Pakistan's Indus water commission inspected River Jehlum, Wullar Barrage and some power projects in Indian- controlled Kashmir during their two day visit to the region, officials said Friday.
The three-member delegation comprised of Mirza Asif Ali Beigh Commissioner Pak IWC, Sheeraj Jameel Memom, additional commissioner, Mehar Ali Shah Principal Engineer, National Engineering Services Pakistan reached Srinagar on Thursday.
"The delegation first visited the Wullar barrage in Baramulla district and later on later inspected the Kishenganga power project in Bandipora district," said a senior official pleading anonymity. "Today the team inspected the levels of water in the river Jhelum and inspected different water regulating sites."
Water sharing between India and Pakistan has been resolved through a settlement in the name of IWT in 1960. The agreement puts riders on how the two countries use and share the water resources.
Out of the six rivers in what is called the Indus basin, India has exclusive rights over the waters of the three major Eastern rivers-Ravi, Beas and Sutlej before they enter Pakistan, while as Pakistan has rights to three large Western rivers that first flow through Indian-controlled Kashmir-Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
The treaty has withstood two wars and numerous other conflicts and is regarded as one of the few such international agreements on the sharing of river waters that has been a success, despite the ongoing rivalry between two nuclear neighbors-India and Pakistan.
The delegation also visited the Dal Lake in Srinagar city and inspected the Dal Lock gate which controls the outflow of the lake into river Jhelum.
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Indian side of Indus water commission led by Commissioner G Ranganathan was also accompanying the Pakistani delegation during their visit.
"Today's visit was a routine visit," the official said. "The delegation visits the state twice in a year to monitor works on the river water that should be carried out in accordance with the IWT."
Last year militants blasted a hut of Irrigation and Flood Control department on Wullar Lake, at village Ningli of Sopore, around 55 km northwest of Srinagar city.Wullar Barrage or Tulbul Navigation is an unresolved issue between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Islamabad is strongly opposing the construction of 439-feet long and 40-feet wide barrage with a navigation lock at Wullar Lake near village Ningli in Sopore.
India started work on this project in 1984 with the objective to increase the water level in the barrage.
However, the work was stopped in 1987 following Pakistan's objections claiming it violates the water sharing treaty between the two countries reached out in 1960.India says the barrage was not in violation of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and would be used only for transportation purposes.
However, Pakistan believes the Indian control over river Jhelum water has the potential to disrupt the triple canal project of Pakistan-Upper Jhelum Canal, Upper Chenab Canal and the Lower Bari Doab Canal.
So far, the two countries have held more than a dozen secretary- level talks to resolve the issue but are yet to reach out at any consensus.