Green panel gives nod to Dulhasti hydel power project on Chenab

A Union environment ministry panel has cleared the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, amid suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, enabling new hydropower development in the region

New Delhi: A panel under the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said on Saturday.

The clearance comes in the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. The Expert Appraisal Committee on hydel projects accorded the approval during its 45th meeting earlier this month, paving the way for floating construction tenders for the run-of-the-river project, estimated to cost over Rs 3,200 crore.

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According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel noted that the water of Chenab basin is shared between India and Pakistan in accordance with provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960, and the project’s parameters were planned in accordance with the treaty.

“However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effective from April 23, 2025,” the panel noted.

When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, Pakistan had rights over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, and India over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Centre is pushing ahead with several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, such as Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I and II.

Dulhasti Stage-II is an extension of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project (Dulhasti Power Station), which has been successfully operating since its commissioning in 2007 by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.

Under the plan, water will be diverted from the Stage-I power station through a separate tunnel measuring 3,685 metres in length and 8.5 metres in diameter to form a horseshoe-shaped pondage for Stage-II.

The project also includes a surge shaft, a pressure shaft, and an underground powerhouse housing two 130 MW units, resulting in a total installed capacity of 260 MW and an annual energy generation.

The total land requirement for the project is estimated at 60.3 hectares. This project will require 8.27 hectares of private land from two villages, Benzwar and Palmar, in Kishtwar district.