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Indus Water Treatment: The Center has recommended environmental clearance for the 1,856 MW Sawalkot hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir.
Indus Water Treaty: The Center has recommended environmental clearance for the 1,856 MW Sawalkot hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir. This is an important project which is being revived after the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. The Sawalkot project, which has been stalled for almost four decades, is one of India’s largest hydropower projects in the Chenab Basin. It is a major part of the government’s effort to fully utilize its share of the Western River waters under the 1960 treaty. Its revival comes months after New Delhi announced it was suspending the treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which had allowed India to freely develop infrastructure on the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers.
India’s rights over western rivers increased
Under the Indus Water Treaty, the three eastern rivers Ravi, Beas and Sutlej were allotted to India for its exclusive use. The three western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab were reserved for Pakistan. Although India has limited rights to use their waters for non-consumptive purposes such as river hydropower generation, navigation and fisheries. This run-of-the-river project, to be constructed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 31,380 crore, will spread across Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It consists of a 192.5 meter high roller-compacted concrete dam and underground powerhouse, designed to generate approximately 7,534 million units of electricity annually. Once operational, it will be the largest hydropower project in the Union Territory and will provide critical peaking power and grid stability for the northern states.
There will be improvement in power supply of the area
In addition to increasing the region’s power supply, the project will enhance India’s capacity to manage and store Chenab water. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for river valley and hydropower projects of the Union Environment Ministry, in its meeting on September 26, examined the updated proposal of NHPC covering a total area of 1,401.35 hectares including 847.17 hectares of forest land. The project received Stage-I approval in July. According to the committee minutes published on October 9, there is no protected area within 10 kilometers of the site and the nearest sanctuary, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, is about 63 kilometers away. About Rs 594 crore has been allocated for mitigation and restoration measures in NHPC’s revised environment-management plan, up from Rs 392 crore earlier.
1,500 people will get employment
Around 1,500 people will be employed during construction, while around 200 technical staff will be hired during operation. Public hearings were held in Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban in early 2016, where residents demanded fair compensation, better connectivity, healthcare, education facilities and free electricity. The EAC found the proposal to be in compliance with regulatory norms and recommended approval with specific environmental safeguards. The Sawalkot project was first conceived in the 1980s, but faced repeated delays due to questions about forest clearance, resettlement issues and cumulative impact studies.
