Why in news?
An apex committee of the Union Environment Ministry has accorded a fresh environmental clearance to the Sawalkote hydroelectric project in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir.
The clearance follows months after India announced the suspension of the 1960 IWT, a landmark water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank that allocated the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — exclusively to India, and the three western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan. India, however, retained rights to use the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes like hydropower generation and navigation.
Background:
The Sawalkote project was first conceived in the 1980s but faced repeated delays over forest clearances, rehabilitation issues and questions about cumulative impact studies. The environment ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee and the home ministry recently backed its clearance on strategic grounds.
Sawalkote Hydropower Project
Location:
Sawalkote Hydropower Project is to be constructed in Ramban and Udhampur districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
River:
Sawalkote Hydropower Project, a large run-of-the-river power project, is to be constructed on the Chenab River.
Capacity:
It is projected to have an installed power capacity of 1856 MW and generate about 8,000 million units of electricity annually. To be completed in two stages: The project’s installed capacity will be 1,406 MW in Stage-I and 450 MW in Stage-II.
Once operational, it will be the largest hydropower facility in the Union Territory and a vital source of peaking power for northern states.
Developed by:
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
Features:
The Sawalkote project will consist of a 192.5-m high Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) gravity dam with six power generator units of 225 MW capacity and one unit of 56MW capacity in the first stage and two units of 225 MW capacity in the second stage of development.
From an earlier estimate of about ₹22,000 crore, estimated cost of the project has ballooned to ₹31,380 crore.
It is planned as a run-of-the-river project with limited storage.
Environmental and Displacement Issues
With a reservoir area of nearly 1,159 hectares – 847 ha of which is forest land, the project is expected to be spread over 1,401 hectares. A total of 13 villages from two tehsils, viz. Ramban and Gool Sangaldan of Ramban district, will be affected due to acquisition of land for the construction of components of the Sawalkote HEP and 1,477 families are expected to be displaced, requiring resettlement.
Balancing Growth with Ecological and Rehabilitation Issues
NHPC’s environmental management plan allocates ₹594 crore for mitigation and restoration. The plan includes catchment-area treatment, muck disposal, biodiversity conservation and sustained monitoring of air, water and soil quality.
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has also proposed a comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement programme offering housing, livelihood support and skill training. Employment opportunities are expected to rise, with about 1,500 jobs during construction and 200 technical positions retained during operation.
Significance:
As India accelerates efforts to harness its share of Indus basin waters, the Sawalkote dam stands as both an infrastructural milestone and a signal of changing hydropolitics in South Asia — a symbol of how development and diplomacy are now flowing in the same channel.
It marks a critical step in New Delhi’s push to maximise its rights over western river waters following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan. The plan to utilise the full potential of the eastern Indus rivers have added momentum to the approval process.
For New Delhi, the Sawalkote HEP is as much about power generation as it is about strategic assertion. By strengthening India’s presence along the Chenab and enhancing its ability to regulate river flows, the project adds a layer of leverage in the wider regional water equation.
The Sawalkote project, located across Ramban, Reasi and Udhampur districts, is central to India’s renewed assertion of control over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers — resources it had previously exercised restraint over due to diplomatic sensitivities and technical hurdles.
The project is of strategic significance that the swift dam construction is essential for leveraging Chenab River’s potential and a vital source of peaking power for northern states.
