CoA Calls Placing IWT in ‘Abeyance’ Illegal, India Rejects Decision

September

2026

A Court of Arbitration (CoA) in The Hague has ruled that India cannot unilaterally suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, rejecting every argument New Delhi has used to justify holding the six-decade-old water-sharing agreement 'in abeyance' since April 2025. In a unanimous decision issued on 31 Aug, the five-member CoA found that the treaty 'remains fully in force' and that India 'must observe its obligations' under it, including those governing the design and operation of hydropower projects on rivers that flow into Pakistan. The CoA examined every ground India has cited publicly: sovereignty, Pakistan’s alleged unwillingness to renegotiate, cross-border terrorism, and changes such as demographic growth, clean-energy needs, and climate change. CoA rejected all of them, finding that no rule of international law allows a state to unilaterally suspend a treaty because it is a sovereign nation within its rights to walk away from a pact. India has rejected the decision issued by what it calls an 'illegally constituted' CoA related to Interim Measures and Status of the Indus Waters Treaty, and said its decision to hold the 1960 pact with Pakistan in abeyance remains in force. Legal experts say the ruling strengthens Pakistan’s position, even if it offers no obvious way to force India’s hand. Meanwhile, India has constructed a rock check dam on river Indus in Upshi, Leh. The structure was built by placing natural boulders across the river, without using cement. The dam has a storage capacity of 40M liters. The Ladakh Union Territory administration has sent a proposal to the Union Ministry of Water Resources, for 36 check dams across Ladakh. Of these, seven are proposed as Himalayan Rock Check Dams in Leh, while Kargil would get 29 cement check dams or weirs. Concurrently, Panjab has shown signs of reversing its long-running groundwater crisis, with the number of over-exploited groundwater blocks falling from 115 to 110 over the past two years, according to the latest report ‘Dynamic Groundwater Resource Assessment’. The report says the improvement is linked to increased use of canal water for irrigation, with canal water now reaching tail-end areas in the state. Panjab recharges 19 BCM annually but extracted 26 BCM in 2025–26, 52% above sustainable levels. Agriculture plays a major role in this massive groundwater erosion (earlier coverage).