6 months ago
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A sheet nether the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project connected the Chenab River successful Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said connected Saturday (December 27, 2025).
The clearance comes successful the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan pursuing the deadly Pahalgam panic attack successful April this year. The Expert Appraisal Committee connected hydel projects accorded support during its 45th gathering earlier this month, paving the mode for the floating of operation tenders for the run-of-the-river project, estimated to outgo implicit ₹3,200 crore.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the sheet noted that the h2o of the Chenab basin is shared betwixt India and Pakistan successful accordance with provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960, and the project's parameters were planned successful accordance with the treaty. "However, the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended effectual from April 23, 2025," the sheet noted.
When the Indus Water Treaty was successful force, Pakistan had rights implicit the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, and India implicit the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. With the pact present successful abeyance, the Centre is pushing up with respective hydroelectric projects successful the Indus basin, specified arsenic Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I and II.
Dulhasti Stage-II is an hold of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project (Dulhasti Power Station), which has been successfully operating since its commissioning successful 2007 by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.
Under the plan, h2o volition beryllium diverted from the Stage-I powerfulness presumption done a abstracted passageway measuring 3,685 metres successful magnitude and 8.5 metres successful diameter to signifier a horseshoe-shaped pondage for Stage-II.
The task besides includes a surge shaft, a unit shaft, and an underground powerhouse lodging 2 130 MW units, resulting successful a full installed capableness of 260 MW and an yearly vigor generation.
The full onshore request for the task is estimated astatine 60.3 hectares. This task volition necessitate 8.27 hectares of backstage onshore from 2 villages, Benzwar and Palmar, successful Kishtwar district.
