India plans 6 new 6,322MW projects on Chenab River

ISLAMABAD: India has stepped up its water war against Pakistan and to this effect, New Dehli has strategised a plan to maximise the usage of Indus waters under which six new projects will not only to be built to generate 6,322MW electricity on the Chenab River but also have huge capacity to store water that is destined to reach low riparian country--Pakistan.

This has been disclosed in a letter written on January 2018 by the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi to the Ministry of Water Resources. The letter in possession of this correspondent arranged from the ministry also divulges that most of the new projects are in the detailed project report stage. These projects are being expedited by the government of India, and, to this effect, the government has issued the grants to cover funding for completing the three projects, including Pakal Dal, Kwar and Kiru by 2022-23 and has pledged the Held Kashmir government that it will fund the rest of the projects.

The six projects that are being planned to be constructed include Sawalkot (1,856MW), Kirthai-1 (390MW, Kirthai II (930MW), Pakal Dal (1,000MW), Kwar(540MW), Kiru (624MW) and Bursar (800MW) in the Chenab basin and Ujh project (212MW) in the Ravi basin.

The upcoming projects like the Swalkote, Kirthai-I and Kirthai-II, Pakal Dal, Kwar, Kiru and Bursar are on the Chenab basin. Apart from them, India had already completed the projects on the Chenab River that include Baghlihar-I and II and Daul Hasti. The combined capacity of 6,323MW is projected to be around double the current installed generation capacity of 3,220MW in Held Kashmir from the projects built over several decades, this has been communicated by High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi to the Ministry of Water Resources in a letter dated January 2018.

Mentioning about the Sawalkot (1,856 MW), the document says, there has been a controversy over clearance of project being built in Ramban district in Held Kashmir.

Experts contend that environmental impact assessment (EIA) report about the project was misleading. In 2016, a group of eminent experts from across India had written a report raising these concerns. The EIA in India claims that Sawalkote is a run of the river scheme, but this claim appears misleading considering that it involves 192.5 metre high, 1159 hectare reservoir with 530 million cubic metres of storage capacity and a massive power house.

About 800MW Bursur hydro-electric power projects, the document unfolds that the said project has got the clearance. The said project is being constructed on the Marusudar--one of the major tributaries of the Chenab River--will be a major hydropower and storage project in Held Kashmir.

The project will be having the construction of a 265 metre high concrete gravity dam with water storage of 618 million cubic metres. The document also says that a total of 1,779 hectare is required for the project out of which 1,149 hectares is forecast land. The project will reportedly incur a cost of $2.5 billion.