Latest news with #SawalkoteHydroProject
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First Post
31-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
After Indus Treaty pause, India fast-tracks Sawalkote Hydro Project in J&K. Will it hurt Pakistan?
The Indian government has begun inviting tenders for the Sawalkote Hydro Project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. The 1,856 Megawatt project will come up near Ramban district's Sidhu village, around 120 kilometres from Jammu and 130 kilometres from Srinagar. The development comes in the aftermath of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Here's why this project matters read more A child stands near Chenab River with the Baglihar hydroelectric project in the background, about 155 km northwest of Jammu. File photo/Reuters India is moving ahead with its plans to build the Sawalkote Hydro Project in Jammu and Kashmir. The government has begun inviting tenders for the 1,856 Megawatt project on the Chenab River. The development comes in the aftermath of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. But what happened? And what do we know about this project? Will it hurt Pakistan? Let's take a closer look What do we know about the project? The Sawalkote Hydro Project is one of India's most ambitious schemes. The project will come up bear Ramban district's Sidhu village. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This is around 120 kilometers from Jammu and 130 kilometers from Srinagar. The project was conceived in the 1960s by the Central Water Commission (CWC). Detailed investigations for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) were conducted at the time. Officers of the Geological Survey of India conducted surveys for the project between 1962-1963 and 1970-1971. The Sawalkote Consortium submitted the Detailed Project Report in February 2018. The project has been delayed for decades over environmental concerns, political issues, administrative challenges, red tape and legal issues. Over a dozen villages in the area will be affected by the projected. Its residents will need to be shifted to new homes and compensated for the same. An army transit camp in Ramaban will also have to be relocated. Pakistan had also objected to the project under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. India earlier this week began laying the ground for the project. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) was given the project in 1985. In 1997 it handed back the project to the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation, which spent 400 crores on the project. The project landed in the NHPC's hands again in 2021. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The NHPC on July 29 floated a tender valued at Rs 200 crore. This covers the planning, design and engineering works for the scheme. The agency has fixed September 10 as the final date for submitting bids. The bid is open to international firms This is merely the first tender. Additional tenders for construction and development will be floated in the coming months. The project was originally designed on a much smaller scale. However, over the years, plans for the scheme have got bigger. The project is designed as a run-of-the-river scheme. The project will comprise nine turbines and an underground power station. It will feature a Roller Compacted Concrete Gravity Dam at a height of 192.5 metres. The water will flow through three horseshoe-shaped tunnels measuring 965 metres, 1,130 metres, and 1,280 metres in length. It will have non-monsoon and monsoon period flood diversions at 2,977 cumec and 9,292 cumec respectively. It will produce around 8000 million units of electricity every year. The reservoir that will come up with the project will have a capacity of over 500 million cubic meters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That's around a fifth of the capacity of Delhi's Bhakra dam. It will be the largest hydroelectric project in the Union Territory. The delays have caused the estimated cost of the project to escalate from around Rs 8,000 crore. The current price of the project is begged at 22,000 crores. However, others warn that the final price tag could be over 30,000 crores by the time the project is done. India in June declared the project one of 'national importance'. This gives the NHPC greater freedom to execute the project and will likely cut down on red tape. It does one of a half dozen projects that India set to revive in the region. These include the Pakal Dul On Marusudar river in Kishtwar, Kiru and Ratle projects , which are also on the Chenab River, Kirthai I & II, Parnai project on Jhelum's Suran tributary. These projects, when finished, will bring in more than 5,000 megawatts of clean power to Jammu and Kashmir. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This will make the region more energy independent and boost the national grid. Will it hurt Pakistan? The move must be seen in a larger context. India's move comes after it suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in April. India and Pakistan had signed the treaty in 1960 under the aegis of the World Bank. The treaty governs the use of the Indus River system that flows through both countries and is vital to its economies. It left India in control of the eastern Beas, Ravi and Sutlej rivers, and gave Pakistan rights over the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. However, India was still allowed to draw from the western rivers for, among other things, domestic and agricultural use and hydroelectricity. Many in India have been calling for New Delhi to renegotiate the treaty or withdraw from it entirely. About a possible diversion of the Indus, Delhi should closely monitor the issue. Representational image. File image/PTI Home Minister Ahmed Shah, speaking in Parliament recently, decried the treaty as 'one-sided'. 'The Indus Water Treaty was one-sided. Farmers of India also have the right over the water, and soon, drinking water will reach Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi from the Indus,' Shah said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Indus Water Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan irrevocably gives up its support of terrorism. We have warned that Blood and water will not flow together', Foreign Minister S Jaishankar added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Parliament speech on Tuesday had taken Jawaharlal Nehru to task over the treaty. Nehru, India's first prime minister, had played a crucial role in the signing of the treaty. Many now think he was too generous by far with Pakistan. India is now is trying to make the most of its share of the western rivers – particularly the Chenab River. The Chenab, which is one of the region's three major rivers, starts in Himachal Pradesh and runs through the Western Himalayas. Over 10,000 square km of its catchment falls permanently above the snowline. This means it can be used around the year to generate hydroelectricity. Experts say India sees the Chenab River both as an asset and as a symbol of energy independence. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They say this will further increase Pakistan's concerns about its water woes and its energy issues. With inputs from agencies
NDTV
30-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Indus Tap To Pak Turned Off, India Invites Tenders For Hydro Project In J&K
New Delhi: The Centre set in motion plans to build the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydro Project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Tenders were invited for the project, which is expected to add to the challenges being faced by Pakistan following India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The new project will come up near Sidhu village in Ramban district of the Union last date for online submission of bids is September 10. Though conceived in the 1960s, this project, along with several others, had been in the freezer. After the suspension of the Indus water treaty, the government planned to push ahead with the construction of six stalled projects in the region. Besides the 1,856 MW project in Sawalkot, there are the Kirthai I and I facilities that will generate a combined 1,320 MW, and a 1,000 MW facility in Pakal Dul, as well as three others making a total of 2,224 MW. Once these six are completed, Jammu and Kashmir could generate up to 10,000 MW of electricity, and there could be more water for irrigation and domestic consumption in the plains. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated the point in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday while responding to the special discussion on Operation Sindoor. "The Indus Water Treaty was one-sided and the farmers of India also have the right over the water, and now in a short time, drinking water will reach Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi from river Indus," he had told Rajya Sabha. The Indus Water Treaty was put on hold after the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, in which 26 people were killed. The decision has not been revoked despite appeals from Pakistan. Speaking in Rajya Sabha earlier in the day, foreign minister S Jaishankar said, "The Indus Water Treaty will be held in abeyance until Pakistan irrevocably gives up its support of terrorism. We have warned that Blood and water will not flow together".
News18
30-07-2025
- Business
- News18
'Watershed' Moment: India Pushes 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydro Project Plan After Indus Treaty Freeze
The project aims to harness the hydropower potential of the Chenab River between the Baglihar Project upstream and the Salal Project downstream In a significant move, the Centre on Wednesday set in motion plans to construct the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydro Project near Sidhu village in Ramban District of the union territory of J&K, on the Chenab River. Originally conceived in the 1960s, this project is now becoming a reality. This development adds to Pakistan's woes following India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. According to a tender document reviewed by News18, the Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project aims to harness the hydropower potential of the Chenab River between the Baglihar Project upstream and the Salal Project downstream. The Sawalkote Project spans Ramban and Udhampur Districts in Jammu & Kashmir and is approximately 120 km from Jammu and 130 km from Srinagar, with both cities' airports being almost equidistant from the site. The Detailed Project Report was last prepared in 2018, and progress is now evident after India halted the Indus Waters Treaty on April 22 this year. The project will feature a Roller Compacted Concrete Gravity Dam with a height of 192.5 m from the deepest foundation level, ensuring river diversion through three horseshoe-shaped tunnels, as per the tender document. An underground Power House will be constructed on the left bank of the Chenab River, downstream of the dam, with an installed capacity of 1,800 MW divided into eight units of 225 MW each. Additionally, a 56 MW power station will utilise the released water to meet environmental flow requirements, bringing the total plant capacity to 1,856 MW (1,800 + 56 MW). The project plans for non-monsoon and monsoon period flood diversion at 2,977 cumec and 9,292 cumec, respectively. The three diversion tunnels will measure 965 m, 1,130 m, and 1,280 m in length. The project is designed as a run-of-the-river scheme. The catchment area of the Chenab River spans J&K and Himachal Pradesh. The upper half of the basin is located between the Great Himalayas and Pir Panjal, and the lower half between Pir Panjal and the Dhaola Dhar/Shivalik ranges. The Chenab River is one of the three main rivers in Jammu and Kashmir, along with the Indus and the Jhelum. The Chenab River basin is part of the Western Himalayas, with over 10,000 km² of its catchment in India permanently above the snowline. The Sawalkote hydroelectric project was conceived by the Central Water Commission (CWC), with extensive investigations for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) initiated in the early 1960s. Geological investigations were conducted by officers of the Geological Survey of India between 1962-63 and 1970-71. The Sawalkote Consortium last submitted the Detailed Project Report in February 2018. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
