India’s external affairs ministry on Saturday rejected an award reportedly issued by a court of arbitration about maximum pondage at Indian hydroelectric projects on the Indus river system, calling it null and void.Pondage refers to water that accumulates behind the dam of a run-of-the-river hydroelectric plant. It is mainly used to regulate the supply of water and to account for fluctuations in the flow of a river.“India categorically rejects the present so-called award, just as it has firmly rejected all prior pronouncements of the illegally constituted CoA [Court of Arbitration],” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “India has never recognised the establishment of this so-called CoA. Any proceeding, award, or decision issued by it is null and void.”The external affairs ministry said that India’s decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance remains in force. The decision was taken in the wake of the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) May 16, 2026
As of Sunday morning, no official statement about the award was available on the website of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. However, a press release from May 11 states that a three-day hearing on Pakistan’s request for “interim measures and on Treaty Status” ended on April 28.India did not participate in the hearing, the press release noted.The Court of Arbitration is a five-member arbitration panel headed by Sean D Murphy. It was set up in January 2023 at Pakistan’s request after the country questioned the design of India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, according to The Hindu.India has declined to take part in the proceedings, arguing that the questions before it fall within the ambit of a neutral expert appointed by the World Bank.Written by Neerad Pandharipande.
