In Photos: Locals Flock To Chenab River As It Runs Dry After India Closes Dam Gates Post Indus Waters Treaty Suspension

Locals cross what remains of the Chenab in Jammu’s Akhnoor, now reduced to shallow streams and exposed stone.

Children wade ankle-deep in the Chenab, treating the once-mighty river like a village street.

Villagers comb the dry riverbed, searching for lost coins and ornaments glinting in the sun.

The Chenab’s barren stretch lays bare the dramatic impact of upstream dam closures in Ramban and Reasi.

Word of the vanishing river spreads fast, hundreds arrive to witness the rare sight.

Police urge people to leave the riverbed, warning of sudden water surges from rainfall upstream.

The drying Chenab offers a stark visual of the fallout from India’s move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.

As locals marvel at the empty river, it also reignites debate over decades-long restrictions on Jammu and Kashmir’s water rights.

Rahul Dev