LAHORE: An Indian delegation has agreed to provide data on the flow of River Chenab, the main concern of Pakistan during the current dry spell.

The three-member team led by Indian Indus Water Commissioner Auranga Nathan is on a five-day visit to Pakistan for routine inspections under the Indus Basin Water Treaty.

Pakistan has been seeking the Chenab data for several months and the Indus water commissioners of both countries have exchanged correspondence in this regard.

“We have collected the data but could not bring it along,” the Indian side was quoted as saying on Monday. It promised to provide the data soon.

No formal meetings were scheduled with the delegation Pakistan expressed its concerns during “informal talks during the inspection visit” and pointed out a decrease in Chenab flow of up to 25 per cent from the average.

The Indian side reiterated its stand that the decrease was “purely due to the climatic effect which impacts the entire region, rather than any theft on their part”, sources said.

Indians officials said the districts along the Chenab banks on their side of the border had also been severely affected by dropping flows.

Pakistan, however, wanted to be sure that “it was solely the drought’s effect, not any other obstruction”.

The Pakistan Commissionerate plans to compare the Indian figures with its data and take up discrepancies, if any, the sources said.

Pakistani officials would soon reciprocate the inspection visit, they said.

Sources said the government was preparing to take to neutral experts the issue of the Kishanganga hydropower project.