Unilateral IWT suspension: Senate body urges NDMA, ministries to conduct assessment

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has urged the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and ministries of Climate Change, and Water Resources to work together and conduct a joint assessment in the wake of unilateral suspension of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on part of India.

The committee met Wednesday under the leadership of Sherry Rehman, the panel’s Chairperson, to take up the relevant issues.

Addressing the meeting, she called for an immediate and coordinated action on safeguarding the Indus River in the aftermath of IWT suspension by India.

“This is not just a violation of international law—it is a form of water and climate weaponisation by India. If the water flow from mountains to delta is compromised, we will witness the salinisation of breadbaskets-especially Sindh and a collapse in food security,” she cautioned.

“More than 240 million Pakistanis are effectively being held hostage,” Rehman said.

Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik and his team briefed the committee on Summer Contingency Plan 2025.

The NDMA officials shared data indicating an early and volatile monsoon season, with increased probability of cloudbursts, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), and windstorms.

“We are monitoring climate signals from 270 earth and weather satellites and are now able to offer early, confirmatory alerts using seismic, hydromet, and oceanic data systems,” said the chairman NDMA in his briefing to the committee.

Utilising a comprehensive archive of disaster records dating back to 1900, NDMA can predict climate-related disasters up to 10 months in advance, he said.

The NDMA has developed a mobile application to support public awareness by delivering timely alerts and educational messages in multiple languages, Malik said.

Pakistan loses $4 million annually due to climate-intensified disasters, the briefing revealed.

Apart from the relevant government officials, the NDMA briefing was attended by the Senate committee members including Shahzaib Durrani, Naseema Ehsan, and Quratul Ain Marri.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025