Permanent Court of Arbitration order of Feb 2013 that the 330-MW Kishanganga Hydro Electric Power Project (KHEP) under construction and all other subsequent projects could not draw down the water level in the projects below the dead storage level.
India is currently carrying on both the projects along with mega storages of water on the Pakistani rivers with the designs which are completely breaching the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan had raised three objections to the Kishanganga project’s design. Pakistan also wants India to raise intake by up to 4 metres and raise spillways up to 9 metres.
On the issue of Ratle plant, Islamabad raised four objections. Pakistan wants India to maintain free board at 1 metre whereas India wants to keep it at 2 metres. In addition, India wants to keep the pondage of 24 million cubic metres, but Pakistan wants the pondage of 8 million cubic metres. Pakistan also wants that the intake of the project should be raised by up to 8.8 metres and it spillways should be raised by up to 20 metres.
India is constructing the Ratle Hydropower Project on the Chenab River and if it manages to construct the project with its existing objectionable design, the water flow of the Chenab River at Head Marala will reduce by 40 per cent that will be detrimental to irrigation in central Punjab of Pakistan.
Beg said India has awarded the project contract to a private company that will run the project on a BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis for 35 years and then hand it over to India.
This dam will be three-time larger than the Baglihar dam. India has already craved out the plan to generate 32,000 MWs of electricity on the Pakistani rivers and will have the capacity to regulate the water flows destined to Pakistan. So far India has built the Dalhasti Hydropower Project of 330-MW, Baglihar of 450-MW and now has started the Ratle project.
On the Neelum River that joins the Jhelum River in Pakistan; India has already completed the Uri-1 and Uri-II Hydropower Projects.