Govt sets Dec deadline to harness Indus water power
STEPS ON GAS PMO asks power authority to give techno-economic nod to six hydro projects on Chenab
NEW DELHI: The government has sought to use more water from Indus basin rivers, but within the limitations of a 56-year-old pact with Pakistan that has survived three wars and numerous instances of bilateral bickering between the two neighbours.
The Prime Minister’s office set a December deadline for the Central Electricity Authority to complete the techno-economic appraisal — pending for more than a year — to check the viability of about half-a-dozen hydroelectric projects on the Chenab in consultation with the Central Water Commission.
These include the proposed 1,856MW Sawalkote hydel project near the Line of Control and the 540MW Kawar and 990MW Kirthai projects.
“This will be the first step towards ensuring speedy implementation of these projects, which can produce more than 5,000MW,” a senior water resources ministry official said. “It generally takes anywhere between one and two years to get the techno-economic appraisal. After that the projects will have to get a host of clearances, includingenvironmentandforest.”
The move follows a meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi in September on the World Bankbrokered Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. Considered among the most liberal water-sharing pacts, it gives control of Beas, Ravi and Sutlej to India and Indus, Chenab and Jhelum — three west-flowing rivers — to Pakistan. Modi reviewed the treaty amid escalating tension with Pakistan after militants killed 19 soldiers in an army base in J&K’s Uri.
Speculation swirled that the Indus treaty could become a casualty. But the government indicated India would use only its share of water for power and agriculture.
The water allotted to India from the western rivers has the potential to generate 18,569MW of hydropower. But the country has so far developed infrastructure to harness only about 3,500MW.
Besides, India can use water to irrigate 13.4 lakh acres. But is irrigating only 8 lakh acres.
“Developing infrastructure to use what is permissible is more than enough. About 133 million acre feet of water flow in the three western rivers and India can construct reservoirs to store up to 3.6 MAF under the treaty. But no storage facility has been developed so far,” said a ministry official.
Agencies have also been told to coordinate with the J&K government to identify areas where irrigation canals can be built. TREATY INKED
On September 19, 1960, PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan signed an agreement to share water of Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. Since Indus was the biggest one of them, the treaty was named as the Indus Waters Treaty
REASON FOR THE TREATY After the partition, Pakistan and India locked horns over the share of water in the Indus Basin as its source remained in India. During the early years after partition, an InterDominion Accord of 1948 apportioned the share of water. But Pakistan was keen on a permanent solution. As both sides were not in a mood to compromise, finally, the World Bank stepped in to negotiate a deal between the two nations
WORLD BANK ROLE
The World Bank, in 1954, offered a proposal to the two nations under which India would retain control over the three eastern tributaries and Pakistan over three rivers on the west. While India was eager to seal the deal, Pakistan turned hostile and even threatened to walk out of the deal. After much deliberations, talks gained momentum in 1954
PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY Under the treaty, the waters of the eastern rivers have been allocated to India, and New Delhi is under obligation to let the waters of the western rivers flow, except for certain consumptive use, with Pakistan getting 80% of the water. NEW DELHI: The air force has launched an investigation into the circumstances under which an officer shot himself in the head after being allegedly ticked off by a three-star air marshal for poor shooting skills last week.
Wing Commander Rajesh Tiwari fared poorly during an impromptu test of firing skills conducted by Western Air Command chief Air Marshal SB Deo during an inspection visit to the Sirsa air force station, home to the air force’s Sukhoi-30 fighters.
Officers and airmen had been randomly picked for the security drill on October 25, senior IAF officers said.
IAF sources said Tiwari was hurt and disturbed about being admonished in the presence of officers and airmen. He was found dead in his official vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head the next day.
A court of inquiry was instituted into the death, IAF sources said, even as the circumstances leading to Tiwari’s alleged suicide, and whether Deo’s observations on his shooting skills triggered it, became the talking point in Indian Air Force (IAF) circles.
Deo, an accomplished fighter pilot, is known to be a “hard task master” but is regarded as “impeccably professional”, the officers HT spoke to said.