Indus Waters Treaty 1960
Eastern and Western Rivers
The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed on September 19, 1960, in Karachi between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, with the World Bank serving as mediator and guarantor. It is regarded as one of the most durable water-sharing treaties in the world, having survived multiple wars between the two nations.
- The treaty divides the six rivers of the Indus basin into two groups: the three Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) allocated to India, and the three Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) allocated to Pakistan.
- India received approximately 20% of the total water (about 33 million acre-feet annually from eastern rivers); Pakistan received 80% (about 135 million acre-feet from western rivers).
- India has unrestricted rights to use all waters of the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, but must build the infrastructure to capture and utilise those flows before they cross into Pakistan.
- The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), with one commissioner from each country, meets annually to exchange data and resolve day-to-day issues.
- In April 2023, India served notice to Pakistan seeking modification of the treaty, marking the first formal invocation of the modification clause in the treaty's 63-year history.
● Tracked since February 17, 2026 · last seen July 03, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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