Centre’s green panel approves Dulhasti hydropower project on Chenab river

A panel under the Environment Ministry has approved the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said on Saturday.

The approval comes in the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. The Expert Appraisal Committee on Hydroelectric Projects gave the nod during its 45th meeting earlier this month, paving the way for issuing construction tenders for the run-of-the-river project, which is estimated to cost over ₹3,200 crore.

According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel noted that the waters of the Chenab Basin are shared between India and Pakistan as per the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, and the parameters of the project were planned in accordance with the treaty.

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“However, the Indus Water Treaty remains suspended with effect from April 23, 2025,” the panel said.

When the Indus Water Treaty was in force, Pakistan had control over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers and India had control over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Center is pursuing several hydropower projects in the Indus basin, such as Savalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru and Kirthai I and II.

Dulhasti Stage-II is an expansion of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project (Dulhasti Power Station), which has been successfully operating since it was commissioned in 2007 by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited.

Under the plan, water from the Stage-I power station will be diverted through a separate tunnel 3,685 meters long and 8.5 meters in diameter to form a horseshoe-shaped pond for Stage-II.

The project also includes a surge shaft, a pressure shaft and an underground powerhouse consisting of two 130 MW units, resulting in a total installed capacity and annual energy production of 260 MW.

The total land requirement for the project is estimated at 60.3 hectares. The project will require 8.27 hectares of private land from two villages, Benjwar and Palamar, in Kishtwar district.