India has opened three gates of the Salal Dam in Jammu & Kashmir's Reasi district, following the suspension of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty and recent military strikes on Pakistan.
Fresh visuals from May 8 show the dam's gates wide open, allowing water from the Chenab River previously closely regulated due to the treaty to flow freely. Earlier the same day, two gates of the Baglihar Dam in Ramban district were also opened in response to heavy rainfall.
The timing aligns with India's military operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor, conducted at 1:30 am on Wednesday. The 25-minute strike targeted nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
These actions follow the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
The Indian government has called Pakistan a "safe haven for terrorists" and cited the threat of further attacks.
In a strategic shift, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, originally signed in 1960 to govern water sharing of six rivers. The move signals both diplomatic pressure and a tactical use of water as leverage.
