DI KHAN
As the first rays of sunlight spread across the Gomal Valley in southern Pakistan, 55-year-old fisherman Asghar Ali pushes his weathered wooden boat into the deep waters of the Indus River for a better livelihoods.
The mighty river is more than a waterway for a poor fisherman but a lifeline that feeds his family since 2002 after his father demise, and sustains an entire ecosystem from Gilgit-Baltistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to Sindh provinces for centuries.
For decades, Asghar alongwith his brother has spent his days navigating the Indus, casting nets and observing the rhythms of a river that has shaped the lives of generations.
But in recent years, he says, those rhythms have begun to change due to climate change and IWT violations by the India since April last year.
Standing on the edge of his small boat opposite Darya Khan, he points toward the vast expanse of water flowing past Dera Ismail Khan and recalls a time when sightings of the endangered Indus River Dolphin were more common there.
“The Dolphin’s survival depends on the smooth flow of the river,” he says. “When water levels are healthy, the river supports more fish and creates a better environment for Masher, Rahu and Dolphins. When water flows decline, the entire ecosystem suffers badly.”
The Indus River dolphin, one of the world’s rarest freshwater mammals, is found mostly in the Indus River system in Pakistan. Blind and highly adapted to murky waters, the species relies on adequate river flows to find food, breed, and migrate through their habitats for breeding.
“IWT violations by India have put Indus Dolphin population under heighten risks” he said, adding continuous freshwater for breeding of the rare memorial is imperative for their population to thrive,” said Muhammad Zubair, Director Fisheries KP while talking to APP.
He said Indus Dolphin is one of the world’s rarest mammals mostly found in southern Pakistan and the second most endangered freshwater specie in aquatic population.
However, population of the specie has gradually declined because of various factors, including water pollution, poaching, fragmentation of habitat due to barrages, and Dolphin strandings in the irrigation canals.
He said IWT violations by India have also endangered indus Dolphin. Approximately 2,000 specimens of this species exist in a small fraction of their former range, the lower reaches of the Indus River in Pakistan.
The Dolphins historically swam freely through about 3500 kilometers of the Indus River system from the Indus estuary, through the plains to the foothills of the Karakoram mountains.
The largest dolphin population, which also occurs at very high density, is found between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages in Sindh province, and smaller populations are found in Punjab and DI Khan KP.
He said that illegal construction of dams projects on western rivers by India have put Indus Dolphins survival under heightening threats.
Zubair warned that any reduction in water availability can have serious consequences for the species including Dolphin, Trout and Masher.
He said lower river flows can fragment habitats, isolate dolphin populations, reduce fish stocks, and increase the risk of Dolphins becoming stranded in irrigation canals or shallow waters.
“IWT violations by India is tantamount of damaging population of aquatic and livestock resources,” said Naveed Farooq Khan of the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.
He said India has threatened the sanctity of international treaties and inter-state relations after holding IWT in abyance,” adding the fascist Modi government should be held accountable for such illegal and unilateral actions.
He warned that any attempt to suspend the treaty for longer peroid could jeopardize peace in South Asia, especially given the serious implications of water disputes between two nuclear powers.
IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, allocated the waters of the western rivers namely Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab to Pakistan, while India controls the eastern rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
He accused India of committing material breaches of the treaty by manipulating water flows in the Chenab River in December last year without prior notification to Pakistan, as required under the agreement.
“These abrupt variations in water flows are of extreme concern for Pakistan and point toward unilateral water releases by India,” he said.
Such illegal actions threaten Pakistan’s agriculture, food security, and the livelihoods of millions of people besides Indus Dolphin.
He described India’s uncalled for actions as the weaponization of water, saying Pakistan had repeatedly raised the issue before the international community.
He said Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner had formally sought clarification from his Indian counterpart regarding these violations.
Pakistan, he said, expects India to refrain from unilateral actions and fulfill all treaty obligations in letter and spirit after historic ruling by International Court of Arbitration at the Hague.
He said India had lost all grounds after the historic ruling and award by the Court of Arbitration in favor of Pakistan.
While accusing India of consistently undermining the treaty by constructing projects such as Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric plants in violation of treaty provisions, he said fascist Modi Govt had also weakened the treaty’s dispute resolution mechanism by refusing to participate in arbitration and neutral expert proceedings.
He warned that restricting water flows could expose millions of Pakistanis to hunger and economic hardship.
Experts maintained that violations of the IWT threaten not only regional peace and stability but also the sanctity of international agreements and principles governing inter-state relations.
Niaz Ali, former Chief Conservator of Forest emphasized that maintaining ecological flows in the Indus is essential for protecting biodiversity, including the endangered dolphin.
He said adequate water levels help sustain wetlands, fisheries, and riverine forests while preserving one of South Asia’s most unique freshwater ecosystems.
The Indus River dolphin has become a symbol of the health of the river itself. Its fate is closely tied to the condition of the waters it inhabits, making it an important indicator of environmental change.
Back to DI Khan, for communities living along the riverbanks like Asghar, the issue of Dolphin was not only environmental or water but also deeply personal.
Thousands of fishermen, farmers, and laborers depend on the Indus for their livelihoods. Changes in river conditions directly affect household incomes, food security, and local economies.
Asghar says he has witnessed periods when fish catches declined and river channels narrowed, making life increasingly difficult for people who depend on the river.
“The river provides income for us all,” he says. “If the river weakens, the people, fish and wildlife that depend on it suffer together.”
As evening approaches, Asghar slowly guides his boat back toward the shore. The day’s catch is modest, but his concerns extend beyond his own livelihood. Looking across the flowing waters, he reflects on the future of the river and its most iconic resident.
“The dolphin belongs to the Indus,” he says. “Protecting the river means protecting the dolphin, and protecting the future of the people who live along its banks.”
For families like Asghar’s and for the endangered Indus River dolphin, the health of the Indus remains a matter of survival, linking human livelihoods and wildlife conservation in one of Pakistan’s most vital river systems.
