Srinagar, Jul 21: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, an open critic of the 1960 Indus-Water Treaty, is hopeful that the central government will give a go-ahead for the completion of the Tulbul Navigation project in Kashmir and the diversion of Chenab River water to alleviate Jammu’s water scarcity.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror strike on April 22 that killed 26 people, mainly tourists, the Centre announced a slew of measures against Pakistan for supporting terror groups and waging a proxy war against India. It included keeping the 1960 Indus-Water Treaty in abeyance.
According to the treaty, India has unrestricted access to the waters of the eastern rivers — Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — amounting to around 33 million acre-feet (MAF) annually, while Pakistan receives the majority of the water from the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab –totalling around 135 MAF annually.
In an interview to a newswire, Chief Minister Abdullah said that while the benefits of a full reversal of the IWT will take time, his government is focusing on medium-term projects that can begin immediately.
Abdullah has been vociferously opposing the treaty since he was the Minister of State of External Affairs, saying that the 1960 agreement was the “most unfair document” ever imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He described the IWT as a document that “essentially denied Jammu and Kashmir the opportunity to store water” and forced all power projects to be “run of the river”.
“We can’t suddenly build power projects and start storing water,” Abdullah said and acknowledged the long-term nature of such undertakings. “It will take time before the benefits of the Indus water treaty start flowing to us.”
However, he highlighted two specific projects that he believes need to be taken up “immediately” — which include the revival of the Tulbul navigation barrage in Sopore.
This project, he explained, would not only enable the use of the Jhelum River for navigation but also “enable us to generate more electricity” in winter for all our downstream power projects, including Lower Jhelum and Uri hydroelectric projects.
The suggestion from the Jammu and Kashmir government to the Centre was to build drop gates at the Tulbul Navigation Project, also known as Wullar Barrage, located on the boundary of Bandipora and Sopore, so that the water level in the Jhelum River could be managed properly.
Work on the project was expedited by India following the Uri terror attack in 2016. This initiative was initially suspended in 1987 due to Pakistani objections.
Despite India’s efforts to resolve the issue, Pakistan declined to engage in discussions during five meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission held between 2017 and 2022.
The barrage would also be especially effective in reducing the flow of water during the flood season in the Union territory.
The Tulbul project was conceived in 1986 so as to enable year-round flow of water in the Wular Lake for commercial and tourism purposes, which in turn would generate employment in Kashmir.
India opposed the Pakistani stand against the barrage, saying that construction of the Tulbul does not violate the treaty since the project is not a storage facility for either drinking water or irrigation but falls into the category of a regulating structure on water flows for non-consumptive use.
The second project is a vital water-lifting scheme from Akhnoor to provide a sustainable source of water for Jammu city, which is facing “increasing water shortages”.
The chief minister said that Chenab is an ideal source, and this project could “feed Jammu for the next two to three decades”.
When asked if a formal proposal had been submitted to the Centre, the chief minister confirmed that “we have already had the conversation” and added that a senior advisor to the Prime Minister had recently visited the region to review these specific projects linked to the IWT.
The advisor’s visit, Abdullah noted, signifies that the Centre may give its nod for the projects to move forward.
The second short-term suggestion was about lifting water from the Chenab River to ensure a better supply for people in Jammu, the six-month winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu city lies on the banks of the Tawi river, which divides the old city on its eastern bank from the new on the west. The Tawi flows from Jammu and Kashmir into Pakistani Punjab, eventually merging with the Chenab River.
The JK government has sought approval to engage an international funding agency for the Chenab Water Supply Scheme, aimed at lifting drinking water from the river and supplying it in different areas of the Jammu district to meet the rising water requirements of the town.
