Indus pact on hold govt plans monthly flushing of salal and baglihar dams

Indus pact on hold govt plans monthly flushing of salal and baglihar dams

WITH the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and the government having already carried out the first flushing exercise at Baglihar and Salal — its two run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir — the Central Water Commission (CWC) has now recommended that such flushing become a monthly routine, The Indian Express has learned.

As first reported by The Indian Express on May 4, NHPC and the Jammu & Kashmir administration have begun flushing the Salal and Baglihar reservoirs to clear out sediment that hinders power output. This is the first such exercise since Salal was built in 1987 and Baglihar in 2008-09, after Pakistan’s repeated objections under the IWT had previously blocked these works.

Sources said the flushing that began in early May removed just over 7.5 million cubic metres (MCM) of sediment from the 690 MW Salal and 900 MW Baglihar reservoirs.

‘The CWC has now recommended that forced flushing be carried out monthly for both projects, and an SOP (standard operating procedure) will be issued shortly,’ a senior official said.

Flushing involves releasing stored water to remove sediment build-up — sand, silt and clay — that settles in reservoirs over time. Sediment reduces reservoir capacity and hampers hydropower output. By regularly flushing these particles out, operators restore storage space and improve turbine efficiency, ensuring reliable power generation and prolonging the life of hydroelectric plants.

However, Pakistan has routinely objected to this exercise given that flushing, the release of stored water to remove sediment, can temporarily boost downstream flow. And recharge, the reservoir’s replenishment by closing of gates, can reduce the volume available for later release.

Making flushing a monthly exercise is part of the government’s short-term plan to utilise Indus waters after the treaty was placed in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack.

As a further short-term measure, India will neither share hydrological data with Pakistan nor inform it of these flushing operations. For the medium and long term, India plans to fast-track hydroelectric projects stalled by Pakistan’s objections under the treaty, consider diverting some Indus flows, and explore building new projects, a senior official said.

‘For any new project under the treaty, India had to inform Pakistan six months in advance. We are under no such obligation now,’ the official added. Among the hydroelectric projects the government will expedite are Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kwar (540 MW) and Ratle (850 MW), all on the Chenab River.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed on September 19, 1960, after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan. It has 12 Articles and eight Annexures (A to H). Under its provisions, all the water of the ‘Eastern Rivers’—Sutlej, Beas and Ravi—shall be available for the ‘unrestricted use’ of India; Pakistan shall receive water from the ‘Western Rivers’—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.

India paused this treaty ‘until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.’ It formally informed Pakistan of this decision by letter dated April 24; Pakistan recently replied signalling its willingness to discuss Delhi’s concerns and suggested a date in May for that discussion.

This offer is especially significant because, despite two prior notices—in January 2023 and again in September 2024—requesting a ‘review and modification’ of the IWT, Pakistan had not previously expressed explicit willingness.

It was only after India placed the treaty in abeyance with immediate effect following the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam that Pakistan signalled its readiness.