JAMMU — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday pointed out that the UT has not yet derived any benefits from the abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty and said his government is working with the Centre to push for two key water projects.
He was referring to the Tulbul Navigation Project (Wullar Barrage) on the Jhelum river and the diversion of water from Chenab to augment water supply in Jammu.
Post Pahalgam terror attack in April last year, India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Under the treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF).
The water of the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — amounting to an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, was largely allocated to Pakistan. However, the treaty allowed India to utilise the water of the western rivers for domestic needs, non-consumptive uses, agriculture and hydroelectric power generation.
“Jammu and Kashmir should have got the benefit from the abeyance of the IWT, but no such benefit has accrued so far. As far as power projects are concerned, whether Ratle, Kiru, Kwar or Pakal Dul, all of these are ongoing projects, and there will be no change in their scope, design or water-holding capacity.
“In keeping with the provisions of the IWT, it has been ensured that there is no change in the generation capacity of these projects. Looking ahead, if new projects are taken up and the restrictions imposed under the IWT are not lifted, the region can certainly gain in the long run,” the chief minister said at a post-budget press conference here.
He noted, however, that this is “both our understanding and our effort”, as power projects typically take a long time to materialise.
At present, Abdullah said the UT can potentially derive benefits in two key areas. First, if the Tulbul Navigation Project (Wullar Barrage) is constructed on the Jhelum, it would enable the storage of additional water during normal flow periods.
“This would have multiple advantages — facilitating inland navigation, helping control sedimentation, and improving power generation at downstream hydroelectric projects such as Lower Jhelum, Uri and Uri-II,” he said, adding that secondly, diverting water from the Chenab river to supply to Jammu city would help address the region’s long-standing water scarcity.
Abdullah further said his government is working under a special drive to strengthen the canal network to draw additional water from the Chenab for irrigation, with a focus on benefiting tail-end farmers.
“We are hopeful of receiving support from the Centre to draw more water from the Chenab for both irrigation and drinking purposes to overcome scarcity,” he said.
According to the chief minister, so far, the IWT abeyance has not had any significant impact on the overall power sector.
“If any benefit has been realised at present, it came through the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme. Arranging funds for the equity share contribution in power projects had posed challenges in the past but under the new financing arrangement, not only has Jammu and Kashmir’s equity contribution been avoided, but additional savings have also been achieved,” he said.
The chief minister, however, expressed hope that future changes related to the IWT will yield broader gains to the region. — (PTI)