ISLAMABAD (MNN); India has approved the Dulhasti Stage II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a decision Pakistan considers a clear breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and a development that has triggered serious concern in Islamabad.
According to official details, New Delhi has granted final clearance to the project, which will be built in the occupied territory and is expected to produce up to 260 megawatts of electricity. The estimated cost of the project is 327.745 billion Indian rupees, while construction is likely to begin early next year.
The project will be executed by Indiaās state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited. It will be developed as an extension of the existing Dulhasti Stage I hydropower facility and will rely on the same dam, reservoir and power intake infrastructure.
The Dulhasti Stage I project, with a capacity of 390 megawatts, was completed in 2007 and operates under a run-of-the-river design. Under the new phase, India plans to use the existing structural setup to generate additional power.
Pakistani officials and water experts have voiced strong reservations over the project, warning that it carries serious defensive and strategic implications. The Chenab River is allocated to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, and unilateral development on the river is seen as a violation of the agreementās terms.
Analysts argue that the project undermines the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty, particularly at a time when India has recently announced steps towards the unilateral suspension of the accord. They caution that such developments could impact downstream water flows into Pakistan and further aggravate already strained bilateral relations.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged India to strictly adhere to the Indus Waters Treaty, stressing that any hydropower projects on rivers allocated to Pakistan must be undertaken within the treatyās framework and through established consultation and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
