India’s Water Strike Begins? Tulbul Project Back On Track, Pakistan On Edge After Indus Treaty Suspension | World News
New Delhi: Work has quietly restarted in Kashmir. Engineers are drafting new plans. Once a forgotten idea, the Tulbul Navigation Project is breathing again. More than 40 years after it first broke ground, India is bringing it back to life.
The timing is not random. Months ago, New Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty. That decision, though buried under headlines, was loud in intent. This is the first major step that follows.
At the centre of the project lies the Jhelum River. In Kashmir’s Sopore region, the Tulbul site was meant to store water from Wular Lake. The design was modest – about 300,000 acre-feet of water. But its impact could be deep. The reservoir would help regulate water in lean seasons. It would allow boat traffic between Baramulla and Srinagar. It could even support power generation and seasonal navigation.
Back in 1984, construction started with ambition. By 1987, everything had stopped. Pakistan objected. It said the project broke the rules of the Indus Waters Treaty. Over the years, efforts to restart it flickered and faded. One attempt in 2010 stalled again. In 2012, terrorists targeted the site. The dream remained frozen in concrete.
Now, New Delhi seems to be changing its tone. The government has ordered a fresh detailed project report. Officials say it will take a year to complete. There is no official date to restart work on the ground, but the intent is clear.
New Delhi does not agree with Islamabad’s objections. Indian officials argue that the treaty allows limited non-consumptive use on the western rivers. Jhelum is one of them. The water will not be diverted, only stored and released in a regulated flow.
India also points out that the Tulbul facility would stay within its own territory. That, they say, is a sovereign right. The aim is utility, not disruption.
In Kashmir, some welcome the move. Better water control could help in dry seasons. Navigation routes could ease movement. There is even talk of local jobs once work resumes.
In Pakistan, concerns remain. Officials see this as a challenge to past agreements. They view it as a shift in tone from the Indian side.
Whether this becomes a turning point or another chapter in an old dispute remains to be seen. But something has shifted. The Indus Treaty is no longer the quiet foundation it once was. India has signalled it wants control, not confrontation, but clarity. And Tulbul, for now, has returned to the map.
