India has announced plans to build 10 new mega hydropower projects in the disputed region of Ladakh, including Achinathang-Sanjak, Parfila, Sunt (Batalik), and Khaltse, raising serious concerns about violations of the Indus Waters Treaty and potential reduction of water flow into Pakistan.
The projects, part of India’s larger master plan to control the flow of the Indus River, classified as a disputed territory under UN resolutions, not only exceed the treaty's permitted storage limits but also threaten to disrupt downstream water supply to Pakistan.
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According to Pakistani water expert Irshad H. Abbasi, who detailed the issue in a letter titled “A Humanitarian Crisis in the Making: The Indus Waters Treaty and India's Actions” addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the real aim behind these projects may be to provide heat and energy to Indian troops stationed in the glacial region of Siachen, while the deprived and marginalized local population in Ladakh continues to suffer in freezing conditions.
