The State points to the Indus Water Treaty for its severe power deficit and demands compensation from the Centre - Frontline

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Power point - Frontline

Power point

The State points to the Indus Water Treaty for its severe
power deficit and demands compensation from the Centre.

By Shujaat Bukhari
Frontline
May 16, 2013

Facing serious criticism over the acute power shortage in
the State, particularly in Kashmir Valley, the Jammu and
Kashmir government has upped the ante on the Indus Water
Treaty (IWT), a water-sharing agreement between India and
Pakistan. In April, the Omar Abdullah government renewed
its demand for compensation not only from the Central
government but also from Pakistan for the losses incurred
by the State since 1960 on account of the restrictions
imposed by the treaty on harnessing river waters for
power generation and irrigation.

The State Cabinet met in April and decided to hire a
private consultancy firm, M/S Halcrow India Limited, to
assess the losses incurred by the State in the past five
decades.

While the concerns of Jammu and Kashmir are well
articulated but not taken into consideration, the silent
�war� between the two signatories of the treaty has not
gone unnoticed. Under the IWT, India has exclusive rights
over the waters of the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej,
before they enter Pakistan, while the riparian country
has claim over the waters of the Chenab, the Jhelum and
the Indus, which flow through Jammu and Kashmir. The main
grievance of the State is that the treaty has deprived it
of a huge hydroelectric potential. The treaty has made it
difficult for the State to harness the waters of the
rivers that flow through its territory for irrigation,
power generation or navigation as the waters stand
allocated to Pakistan. The construction of power projects
on the Chenab in the Doda region and on the Kishanganga
(which is called the Neelum when it enters Pakistan), a
tributary of the Jhelum, in Baramulla are bitter examples
of the troubles caused by the provisions of the treaty.
First, a no-objection certificate has to be obtained from
Pakistan, but thereafter the complaints against the
construction of dams never cease. In the case of the run-
of-the-river Baglihar power project on the Chenab, the
Indus Water Commission of Pakistan made several visits to
the project site and the issue was settled only at the
intervention of the World Bank. (The IWT provides for the
appointment of a neutral expert by the World Bank as a
last option to resolve issues relating to river waters.)

Continues at:

http://www.frontline.in/the-nation/power-point/article4711317.ece

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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