WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s complaint on the completion of the Kishanganga Dam has been received by the World Bank on Thursday.
The Washington-based lender on Thursday said it was working with Pakistan and India on resolving the dispute and confirmed it had received a letter from Pakistan in this regard, reported Dawn.
In 2016, Pakistan had filed a complaint with World Bank saying India had contravened the Washington-based lender mandated pause placed in 2016 by completion of the Kishanganga Dam.
Also, Pakistan views the construction of Ratle (850 megawatts) and Kishanganga (330 megawatts) dams to be in contravention of the Indus Water Treaty’s curtailment on building of run-of-the-river plants.
These plants are being constructed on the tributary of Chenab and Jhelum rivers respectively.
According to a World Bank fact-sheet, Pakistan and India are at loggerheads over the technical design aspect of these two plants contravene the Indus Water Treaty signed in the 1960’s.
And WB accepted the Indus Water Treaty “designates these two rivers as well as the Indus as the Western Rivers’ to which Pakistan has unrestricted use.”
Fact-sheet from the World Bank states India can build hydroelectric power plants on these rivers provided it meets the specification of annexures listed in the Indus Water Treaty.
