Centre gives nod to Sawalkote project on Chenab river amid Indus Waters Treaty suspension

Stalled for practically 4 many years, the Sawalkote project is one in every of India’s largest hydropower schemes within the Chenab basin and a key a part of the federal government’s push to absolutely utilise its share of western river waters underneath the 1960 treaty.

Its revival comes months after New Delhi introduced the suspension of the treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault, permitting India to freely develop infrastructure on the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

Under the IWT, the three japanese rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — have been allotted to India for its unique use. The three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — have been reserved for Pakistan, although India retains restricted rights to use their waters for non-consumptive functions, akin to run-of-the-river hydropower technology, navigation and fisheries.

To be constructed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited at an estimated price of ₹31,380 crore, the run-of-the-river project will straddle Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

It features a 192.5-metre-high roller-compacted concrete dam and underground powerhouses designed to generate about 7,534 million items of electrical energy yearly.

Once commissioned, it will likely be the biggest hydropower project within the Union territory and supply essential peaking energy and grid stability for northern states. The project carries each developmental and strategic weight.

Besides including to the area’s energy provide, the project will improve India’s potential to handle and retailer the Chenab’s waters, a proper allowed underneath the IWT however not often exercised absolutely due to engineering challenges and diplomatic sensitivities with Pakistan.

The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for river valley and hydroelectric initiatives of the Union atmosphere ministry, at its assembly on September 26, examined the NHPC’s up to date proposal masking a complete space of 1,401.35 hectares, together with 847.17 hectares of forest land.

The project obtained Stage-I forest clearance in July.

According to the committee’s minutes printed on October 9, no protected space lies inside a 10-kilometre radius of the positioning and the closest sanctuary, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, is about 63 kilometres away.

The NHPC’s revised environmental-management plan allocates about ₹594 crore for mitigation and restoration measures, up from ₹392 crore earlier.

The plan consists of catchment-area therapy, muck disposal, biodiversity conservation and long-term monitoring of the air, water, soil and aquatic ecosystems.

The project will have an effect on 13 villages and displace about 1,500 households, primarily in Ramban district.

The NHPC has proposed an in depth rehabilitation-and-resettlement plan, providing housing, livelihood assist and talent improvement to the project-affected households.

Around 1,500 individuals shall be employed throughout development, with about 200 technical employees retained throughout operation. Public hearings have been held in Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban in early 2016, the place residents demanded honest compensation, higher connectivity, healthcare, training services and free electrical energy.

Concerns have been additionally raised over forest loss and riverine impacts.The EAC, after reviewing the up to date baseline environmental information and responses, discovered the proposal compliant with regulatory norms and really helpful clearance with particular environmental safeguards.

The Sawalkote project was first conceived within the Nineteen Eighties however confronted repeated delays over forest clearances, rehabilitation points and questions on cumulative influence research.

The atmosphere ministry’s forest advisory committee and the house ministry not too long ago backed its clearance on strategic grounds, noting that new evaluation norms launched in 2013 shouldn’t apply retrospectively to older initiatives.