India has begun work to boost reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after fresh tension with Pakistan led it to suspend a water-sharing pact.
Last month, New Delhi suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between the nuclear-armed rivals that ensures supply to 80 percent of Pakistani farms after an attack in Kashmir killed 26, and it identified two of the three assailants as Pakistani.
Islamabad has threatened international legal action over the suspension and denied any role in the attack, warning: “Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan ... will be considered as an act of war.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
A “reservoir flushing” process to remove sediment began on Thursday, carried out by India’s biggest hydropower company, state-run NHPC Ltd, and authorities in the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the three sources said.
The work might not immediately threaten supply to Pakistan, which depends on rivers flowing through India for much of its irrigation and hydropower generation, but it could eventually be affected if other projects launch similar efforts.
There are more than half a dozen such projects in the region.
India did not inform Pakistan about the work at the Salal and Baglihar projects, which is being done for the first time since they were built in 1987 and 2008-2009 respectively, as the treaty had blocked such work, the sources added.
They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
India’s NHPC and the neighboring governments did not reply to e-mails from Reuters to seek comment.
Since independence from British colonial rule in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, in addition to numerous short conflicts.
The flushing operation ran for three days from Thursday, the sources said.
“This is the first time such an exercise has taken place and will help in more efficient power generation and prevent damage to turbines,” one of the sources said.
“We were also asked to open the adjustable gates for cleaning, which we did from May 1,” the source said, adding that the effort aimed to free dam operation from any restrictions.
People living on the banks of the Chenab River on the Indian side of Kashmir said they noticed water had been released from both Salal and Baglihar dams from Thursday to Saturday. The flushing of hydropower projects requires nearly emptying a reservoir to force out sediments whose build-up is a major cause of decline in output.
For example, two of the sources said, power delivered by the 690 megawatts Salal project was far below its capacity, because Pakistan had prevented such flushing, while silting also hit output at the 900 megawatts Baglihar project.
“Flushing is not a common thing because it leads to a lot of water wastage,” said one of the sources. “Downstream countries are expected to be informed in case it leads to any inundation.”
Building both projects had required extensive back and forth with Pakistan, which worries about losing out on its share of water.
Under the 1960 treaty, which split the Indus and its tributaries between the neighbors, India had also shared data such as hydrological flows at various spots on the rivers flowing through India and issued flood warnings.
India’s water minister has vowed to “ensure no drop of the Indus river’s water reaches Pakistan.”
However, government officials and experts on both sides say India cannot stop water flows immediately, as the treaty has allowed it only to build hydropower plants without significant storage dams on the three rivers allocated to Pakistan.
The suspension means India “can now pursue our projects at free will,” said Kushvinder Vohra, a recently retired head of India’s Central Water Commission who worked extensively on Indus disputes with Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has sought to renegotiate the treaty in recent years and the archfoes have tried to settle some of their differences at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague.
These concerns related to the size of the water storage area at the region’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric plants.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS