New Delhi, Sept. 20 -- Water available to India due to the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan may be diverted within a year-and-a-half to meet the drinking water needs of Delhi and nearby states, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday. The minister for power and housing and urban affairs spoke about the efforts being made to address the water shortage in Delhi and other northern states while unveiling a drainage master plan that targets a long-term solution to floods and waterlogging in the city. "We can say that Operation Sindoor is a blessing in disguise for meeting the water requirements of these states. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Indus Water Treaty will be kept in abeyance, we have much water that used to be diverted towards Pakistan till now. We are trying that over the next 1-1.5 years, this water can be diverted here so that we can increase water supply to Delhi, UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states," said Khattar. The minister did not elaborate how the water would be channelled to Delhi. India and Pakistan in 1960 signed the treaty, which put in place an arrangement for both countries to share water. The water sharing ratio between Pakistan and India was at 80:20, as per the treaty. The Indus basin consists of six big rivers - Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. While two of these six rivers - Indus and Sutlej - originate in China and only four in India; the five of them that flow to Pakistan do so through India. India decided to suspend the decades-old Indus Water Treaty in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam in April, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, mostly tourists. India informed Pakistan of its decision to keep the Treaty in abeyance, citing Pakistan's breach of the treaty's conditions. Pakistan has objected to India's suspension of the treaty and it has said any Indian attempt to divert or restrict water downstream in the neighbouring country would be "considered an act of war". On its part, India has clarified that despite the success of Operation Sindoor, India's strike against terror hubs and military installations in Pakistan, IWT will remain suspended, citing issues with the 65-year old agreement, including rapid strides in dam technologies in the decades since, and the climate crisis, which has reduced flow to the eastern tributaries of the Indus, water from which was available to India under the treaty....