LAHORE: Using a relatively new technology, India has built capacity to install Inflated Rubber Dam near Wullar Barrage on the River Jhelum to obstruct water flow towards Pakistan in sheer violation of the Indus Waters Treaty, according to official sources. India is covertly building the Inflated Rubber Dam about four kilometres downstream of the Wullar Barrage in Held Kashmir, having an approximate storage capacity of 300,000 acre feet. Inflated rubber is mounted on a permanent underwater embankment for holding back water to create a reservoir of a static level. Contrary to traditional dam construction techniques which require far more expertise and time, India can swiftly erect a strong but ‘handy” structure to obstruct water flow through rubber dam technology. The plan has been under discussion for about a year. However, Pakistan’s Indus Commission could not take up this issue with India, the source said. About a month back, concrete evidence about the Rubber Dam was presented to the commission by relevant authorities, which prompted government high-ups to write a letter to India, seeking inspection of the site. As per the Indus Waters Treaty, India is prohibited to construct any storage structure on the River Jhelum. According to Section D, Article VIII, the commissioner of either country is bound to undertake a prompt tour of such sites as might be considered necessary by him for ascertaining facts. Following Pakistan’s protests in the past, India had earlier abandoned the plan to build the Wullar Barrage on the River Jhelum. However, there were reports that India resumed work on the water storage project with a new design as the Modi government has intensified work on various infrastructure projects on western rivers. Work on the Wullar Barrage, which is called Tulbul Navigation Project in India, was first started in 1984 to raise water level in the Wullar Lake in addition to increasing power generation of downstream projects. Following protest by Pakistan in 1988, India stopped work on the project. However, despite several meetings, the issue remained unresolved. The plan was fully abandoned in 2007 and it was tagged as a dead project. Last year, India reportedly decided to restart work on the barrage. It was reported in October 2016 that over 60 per cent work had been completed.
