IWT on hold, India looks to harness Chenab, Indus & Jhelum. Tunnel, new hydro projects on the table

The Print

26-04-2025

The proposal to build a tunnel on the Chenab came up Friday at two high-level meetings—one at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the other chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah—to discuss ways to harness the water of the three western rivers for use by India, senior government officials said.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which was put in abeyance Wednesday as a punitive measure following the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan is allowed unrestricted use of waters of the three western rivers. India under the treaty has the right to use water of the eastern rivers, Sutlej, Ravi and Beas.
New Delhi: India is exploring multiple options to better utilise the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab—three western rivers on the Indus basin—including a proposal to build a 10-12 km tunnel to transfer water from the river Chenab to Ravi, ThePrint has learnt.
The meetings were attended by senior officials from the PMO, home, power ministries and Jal Shakti ministry, among others.
'This is one of the options being considered. The Jal Shakti ministry has been directed to conduct a techno-feasibility study on building a tunnel on the Chenab. We will go ahead with the project only if it is found to be feasible. Details like the quantum of water that can be diverted and from which point will be clearer after the feasibility study is done,' a senior government official aware of the development told ThePrint.
The official added that fast-tracking work on ongoing hydro-power projects on the Chenab was also discussed at the meetings. Currently, work is in various stages of implementation at four hydropower plants—850 MW Ratle, 1,000 MW Pakal Dul, 624 MW Kiru and 540 MW Kwar, located in the Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir.
'The power ministry has also been told to fast-track work on four proposed hydropower projects on the western rivers,' a second official said. These include 1,856 MW Sawalkot, 930 MW Kirthai-II, 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II and 240 MW Uri-I Stage-II, also in Jammu & Kashmir.
But officials admit that building a tunnel and hydropower plants are long-term projects. 'These will take time. However, it was felt that we should start expanding our infra capacities on the western rivers now itself,' the second official said.
In the short-term, India is considering conducting drawdown flushing (a sediment removal method) of its existing reservoirs on the eastern and western rivers. The IWT prohibits drawdown flushing of reservoirs. In the absence of flushing, silt and sediments get deposited in the reservoirs over a period of time and render them ineffective in the long run.
'Since the IWT is on hold, India can also undertake drawdown flushing of its reservoirs on the eastern rivers, which is not permitted under the treaty,' the second official said.
Also Read: Omar reiterates objection to Indus Waters Treaty, says J&K has never been in favour of it
Fast-tracking projects, building new infra
The 1960 treaty, brokered by the World Bank between India and Pakistan, allows India unrestricted rights over waters of the eastern Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers, which is approximately 20 percent of the water carried by the Indus riverine system. Pakistan is allowed unrestricted use of waters on the western Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, which is roughly 80 percent of the water carried by the Indus system.
The IWT also allows India to use the waters of the three western rivers in 'non-consumptive' ways, including for run-of-the-river hydroelectric power generation, agricultural and domestic use. A run-of-the-river project is one that generates power without live storage as an integral part of the plant, except for pondage and surcharge storage.
Though India utilises around 95 percent of its share of water in the eastern rivers through a network of dams, it does not have the required infrastructure in place to utilise the water of the western rivers. Among the completed hydropower projects that India has built on the three western rivers include the Baglihar, Salal and Kishanganga.
'Now that the IWT has been put in abeyance, India wants to use the opportunity to fast-track ongoing hydropower projects on the western rivers for generating electricity and building new infrastructure for storing water,' the second government official said.
Currently, the water that India can use from the western rivers has the potential to generate 18,569 MW of hydropower. However, as on date, India has only developed 3,500 MW of hydel generation capacity.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Pausing Indus Treaty might send a message to Pakistan, but India must speed up projects to reap benefits