Chenab River Runs Dry in Akhnoor Amid Dam Operations and Diplomatic Tensions:

Suspense crime, Digital Desk : The Chenab River’s water level at Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir has for the first time in years dropped below waist level, exposing the riverbed on Monday and attracting huge numbers of people. The reduction in water level came after sluice gates were closed at the Baglihar and Salal hydroelectric plants located in Ramban and Reasi districts, respectively.

The Indian Express as cited explains that the reasons given for closure include a standard desiltation task carried out over the weekend for lowering reservoir level increases. However, this unusual timing raises questions of more rationale geostrategic reasoning, particularly against the background of current Pakistan tensions.

Hydropower Projects and Diplomatic Signals

India’s announcement of ceasing the IWT, Indus Waters Treaty, which came after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, aligns too closely with the water level decrease. The IWT, established in 1960, regulates the division of water between India and Pakistan in relation to the Indus river system. Both Baglihar and Salal are run-of-the-river dams which gives India the ability to control, but not completely block, the water given to Pakistan.

Past confrontations with Pakistan over the construction and water regulation capabilities of these projects led to the intervention of the World Bank in preemptive planning stages. Even with a middle ground solution, the dams continue to provide India a modicum of strategically beneficial control of the river waters, which can be leveraged geopolitically as a pressure valve during times of increased hostilities.

Break up of Crowd, Start of Water Let Off

Baglihar and Salal sluice gates were in the process of reopening by late Monday, and Chenab’s Akhnoor water level’s compliant alongside the river returning to mid level for idle outperforming locals searching for treasures such as antiquated currency and jewelry after prolonged periods of low water levels.

As Jammu and Kashmir Police were using loudspeakers to clear the area as one of the upstream rainfall surged posed a near-novel instant flood danger, more senior officers were encouraging members of the public to refrain from entering the river and for those already waist to the waist bound in the water, hands off the water as the soldiers were led go semi-crazy on safety and risk options.

Reactions from Global as Well as Local Citizens

Most people with residency rights for the geographical region especially locals came forward to complain about the fierce shallow water which was usually for them being shallow to an outmost level. One local cum scholar Ankur sharma put forth his thoughts about the dam closing in undoing what he deemed the post terrorist attack reasoning policy statement border sign concept.

"The contract was not sustained which allowed the government to construct these cycles of floods and droughts. Pakistan needs to accept that there is no unconditional immunity after every attempt at terrorism," said Sharma.

The periodically decreased water supply has worsened the already strained Indo-Pak relations by demonstrating how water resources are increasingly being used as tools of strategic manipulation.