Salal Dam shut: Chenab runs dry in Reasi as India tightens screws on Pakistan

New Delhi: India has closed all gates of the Salal Dam on the Chenab River amid escalating tensions with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

The immediate fallout is visible downstream, as shown in a video posted by news agency ANI.

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The Salal Dam’s gate closure, coupled with a prior restriction at the Baglihar Dam in Ramban, has significantly curtailed water flow into Pakistan—a nation heavily dependent on the Chenab River for agricultural irrigation and hydro-ecological balance.

The move comes barely two weeks after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead—most of them Hindu tourists.

Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, didn’t mince words. "Water and the blood of our citizens cannot flow together," he posted on X. "This is the muscular Modi Doctrine, firm and unwavering in its fight against terrorism."

The closure of the Salal Dam follows the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered pact that allocated the eastern rivers (Beas, Ravi, Sutlej) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan.

The treaty has weathered wars, incursions, and diplomatic breakdowns—but its fate today appears more uncertain than ever.

India’s recent suspension of the IWT, announced in the aftermath of the Pahalgam massacre, has given New Delhi room to manoeuvre. It has also rattled Islamabad, which has reportedly flagged India’s dam operations with the World Bank, alleging violations of treaty terms.

For Pakistan, this isn't mere posturing. The Chenab River is central to its breadbasket regions. Any manipulation of its flow—whether in volume or timing—has the potential to paralyse sowing cycles, water tables, and political stability.

India, for its part, appears to be recalibrating the long-held doctrine of water neutrality, especially in the face of continued cross-border terrorism. Government sources have hinted that similar steps could be taken at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River.

As Malviya put it, the Modi Doctrine is about “political will to make tough decisions in India’s interest.”

The Indus Waters Treaty, often hailed as one of the most successful transboundary water agreements globally, is now under stress. Environmental experts have raised alarms about the unintended consequences of upstream control, warning of ecological destabilisation in an already water-stressed subcontinent.

Yet, India’s stance finds quiet resonance among nations fatigued by Pakistan’s duplicity on terror. In closed diplomatic corridors, New Delhi’s assertion of “hydrological sovereignty” is being interpreted not as belligerence, but as long-overdue accountability.