Pakistan can't realistically build large storage dams on the Chenab because it enters the plains of Punjab where there are no suitable narrow valleys or mountain sites for major reservoirs... At best, only small to midscale projects like Chiniot can add limited storage (just a couple of MAF)..
The real issue is structural... Pakistan has only about 13 MAF of live storage (mainly Tarbela and Mangla) against over 100 MAF of annual flows... That means a buffering capacity of only a few weeks instead of months. Bridging this gap needs large projects like Bhasha and Mohmand, plus better political consensus on options like Kalabagh...
But dams alone won't fix this... The real gains lie in system efficiency..... multi tier storage, cutting canal losses, managing groundwater, and capturing floodwater instead of losing it to the sea .... Engineering and management matters as much as new dams/infrastructure
In the bigger picture, the greater threat isn't upstream control by India, it's climate variability hitting an already under-stored system... Pakistan sits on a highly volatile hydrological system but still lacks the infrastructure to absorb floods, droughts, and seasonal extremes...