By Priya Venkatesh
Entanglement over the Baglihar hydropower project in Kashmir continues as the careens of the nations involved stand differentiated. The situation over the so- called controversial design of the dam has become topsy-turvy and has brought in such ramifications of having a neutral civil Swiss engineer, Raymond Lafitte to sort out the issue!
Despite World Bank negotiations over the disputes that prevailed between India and Pakistan on the utilization of water from the existing facilities way back in 1960 via the Indus Water treaty, its hapless that both nations have again run into a dead lock.
PROVISIONS OF THE INDUS WATER TREATY, 1960
Way back at the time of independence, the boundary line between India and Pakistan was laid right at the Indus River basin. The contraventions that arose over the utilization of water for irrigation from the existing facilities at the Indus river by both the countries climaxed in the signing of the Indus Water Treaty at Karchi on 19th September 1960 by the then President of Pakistan Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan and the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in the presence of Mr.W.A.B.Ill of the World Bank.
The treaty was put into effect from 01 April, 1960.Usage of water from the eastern rivers of the Indus (The Sutlej, The Beas, The Ravi) were apportioned to India and of the western rivers of the Indus (The Chenab, The Jhelum and the Indus) were apportioned on a larger scale to Pakistan allowing a restricted usage of water by India in the latter.
BAGLIHAR HYDROPOWER PROJECT – DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
In continuation to this, India started off with a double-phase 900MW hydropower project (phase 1 providing a potential of 450MW) in the Chenab River in Kashmir at the southern Doda district in Chandrakot in 1999-2000. The vantages of hydropower are inexplicable. It not only serves as a renewable resource free from pollution but also sustains minimal running costs in the long run.
This project was enquired by the Central Water Commission and a report was prepared by the latter on the same in the year 1984.It also states that the geological investigations were done in 1962-1978 by the geological survey of India and in 1987, The project was reported to have been transferred to NHPC. After almost a decade of dormancy, the construction of the mega hydropower project started in 2000.
Being the only power project of the state, it promises to provide unrestrained electricity to the region which has been incessantly suffering from daylong power cuts.
This project on successful completion anticipates bringing about harmonious developmental strategies with respect to the supply of electricity to the whole of Kashmir and redeems a prosperous socio-economic environment in the otherwise impoverished city of Doda.
LOCATION AND FEATURES OF THE HYDROPOWER PROJECT
As per the data presented by the two small rivers, The Chandra and The Bhaga rising from the South-East and North-West of Baralacha pass at a height of 4,891 meters merge together at a place called Tandi at a height of 2,286 meters and becomes the ChaderBagha river.
This in turn passes through the Chamba district (as the Pangi valley) in HP and enters the Podar valley of Kashmir.
In Kashmir, the Chenab River drops another approx.2000 meters and flows into Pakistan near Akhnur.
India sees this drop in elevation of the Chenab River in Kashmir as a tremendous potential for Hydropower generation. This urged India and led to the idea of the implementation of the gigantic Baglihar Hydropower project.
FRI Reservoir level: 840m
MDDDI Reservoir level: 838m
Average reservoir level: 839m
Submergence area at the full reservoir level: 12994.17 Kanals
Power generation: 450MW
Plans for the Rehabilitation and resettlement of those affected by the construction of this project are in the pipeline.
WORK-FORCE INVOVLVED IN THE PROJECT
As per the reports of the “Daily Times”,
· the project is said to involve 7000 workers including skilled labor and engineers.
· The talks between the Project chief Engineer Ghulam Hassan Rather and Mufti Muhammed Syed during his visit to the site in early may 2005, communicates that the civil works were being executed by contractors Jaiprakash Associates of the Jay Pee group while electric works were being implemented by a German Consortium Voith Siemens & VA Tech. Another German company, Lahmeyer International is supervising the work on behalf of the Kashmir government
PROJECT DESIGN –THE HEART OF CONTROVERSY
The controversy over this started at the design of the Baglihar dam in the Chenab River. The president General Pervez Musharaff approved a plan to coerce India to redesign the project on November 21, 2004 stating that it was a clear violation of the dictates of the Indus Water Treaty, 1960. He made it clear that the intervention of the International court of justice would be sorted to if in case the controversy heightens in spite of political and diplomatic efforts undertaken by both the governments concerned.
Pakistan raised its opposition to the construction of the gate-like structures present in the design stating that it would divert water to India, which otherwise is destined for Pakistan. It also emphasizes the fact that the successful implementation of this project would deprive Pakistan of 6000-7000 cusecs of water per day. It also emphasized in reducing the planned height of the dam(470 feet) for which the Indian authorities allege that the 450MW capacity would come down to a mere 50MW.
India upholds to state that the construction would in no way disrupt the water flow of the river or the canals of Pakistan. India alleges that the problem of augmentation of sludge is overcome only by abnormal flushing which in turn is unfeasible but for the presence of gated spillways.
With reference to this, talks were held between India and Pakistan in July, August and October 2003.But the repercussion was just a stalemate. Formal notices were issued by Pakistan to resolve the issue with the intervention of neutral experts twice in July and October 2003.The deadlines for India’s response were set up at December 31, 2003.
As per the postulation of the Indian government, a 3-day talk between the Indian and Pakistani authorities was convened at the Permanent Commission of Indus Water (PCIW) in January 2004.
The political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue broke down even when the stakes to do so at the bi-lateral government level were quiet high. Talks continued again in January 2005 but ended up in vain. The issue still remained a blind alley.
Arbitration by the World Bank was sought for by the Pakistani authorities in early 2005.As a consequence, The World Bank appointed Raymond Lafitte, a Swiss national civil Engineer cum Professor to sort out the longstanding issue on May 10,2005.Professor Raymond Lafitte is with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne. He was a former expert on dam safety with the Swiss government.
Lafitte held confluences with the delegates from India and Pakistan on the assorted issues over the disputed project in Paris, in the wake of June 2005.
A NOTE ON THE TIMEFRAME AND VALUE OF THE PROJECT
The highly controversial Baglihar hydropower project is expected to race towards its completion by June 2006. The Union minister after his recent visit to the site in mid-June 2005 is reported to have said that the project would be completed and dedicated to the nation by June next year.
As per the versions of many leading dailies, out of the estimated overall cost of erection of about 4000-crore, a sum of 2700-crores has already been used up and almost 71% of civil works and 81% of electro-mechanical work of Phase-1 has been completed till date.
WHAT’S ON THE RUN AND WORK AHEAD
As the backwash of the World Bank arbitration towards reaching a consensus in this issue, Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, the then Union minister for Water resources confabulated the site of construction on June 17, 2005 to produce a detailed report on the same.
Inspection by the Pakistani delegates and by Lafitte is in the pipeline in the next few months.
It is believed that by resorting to World Bank arbitration, a Pandora’s box has been opened up. Will there be a resolution to this controversy in the nearest future? Much awaited is an accord in this issue between the nations concerned in the nearest future!
Will the World Bank take the quickest measure to resolve the issue? Will a consensus be reached between the two nations still remains an unanswered question!
POSSIBLE ENTAILMENTS OF ARBITRATION
Arbitration on its march ahead may end up with the renegotiation or revocation of the Treaty with the consent of both the nations concerned. Sequel of the treaty and operation within the scope of the Indus Water treaty is a must for the increasingly agriculture dependent Pakistani side. With the declining water storage at the Terbela and Mangla of Pakistan, revocation of the treaty would emphatically not auspicate the Pakistani side positively.
Further delay in sorting out the issue will have bad reflection on the Indians for two reasons. The first being the finance involved in this project that have taken up huge tolls of money and second being the unrestrained supply of electricity that would be available to Kashmir on successful implementation. Arbitration if prolonged will also strain both the nations financially.
Considering the nook and corner of this complex dispute, the candid facts with respect to the issue has to be pondered upon
· Abrogation of the treaty would never have a positive reflection to the Pakistanis and continuance of the arbitration will have negative contemplations on the Indians
· Political tension and administrative friction at the government level has to be swept aside. The functional side of the issue has to be brought under discussion. Negotiations should be concluded within the shortest stint of time and an accord has to become a reality on operational basis.
· Cognitive upbeat decisions must be taken at the functional level scraping out the political differences thus paving way to renegotiations of the Indus Water Treaty.
Whatever be the resolution to this indefinitely unsolved issue, let us hope that it should surface within the shortest possible stint of time and it should be to the fullest benefit of both the countries involved.
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