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Modi's water war: India fast-tracks hydro projects in IoK

India has fast-tracked hydropower projects worth $15 billion in India-held Kashmir in recent months, three federal and state officials said, ignoring warnings from Islamabad that power stations on rivers flowing into Pakistan will disrupt water supplies.

The swift approval of projects that had languished for years came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested last year that sharing the waterways could be conditional on Pakistan clamping down on anti-India militants that New Delhi says it shelters.

Pakistan has opposed some of these projects before, saying they violate a World Bank-mediated treaty on the sharing of the Indus river and its tributaries upon which 80pc of its irrigated agriculture depends.

The schemes, the largest of which is the 1,856-megawatt (MW) Sawalkote plant, will take years to complete, but their approval could prove a flashpoint between the nuclear-armed neighbors at a time when relations are at a low ebb.

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"I say the way you look at these projects, it is not purely a hydro project. Broaden it to a strategic water management, border management problem, and then you put in money," said Pradeep Kumar Pujari, a top ranking official in India's power ministry.

Pakistan denies any involvement in the 28-year armed insurgency in held Kashmir and has repeatedly urged New Delhi to hold talks to decide the future of the region.

Foreign ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said he would confer with the Ministry of Water and Power on the proposed Indian projects, saying it was a technical matter.

He noted, however, that India would be attending a regular meeting of the Indus Commission later this month in Lahore, even though the broader peace dialogue was on hold.

"It seems that finally India has realised the importance of this mechanism under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) for resolving water disputes related to the Indus water and its tributaries."

Triple power
Six hydro projects in India-held Kashmir either cleared viability tests or the more advanced environment and forest expert approvals in the last three months, two officials in India's Water Resources Ministry and the Central Electricity Authority said separately.

Together these projects on the Chenab river, a tributary of the Indus, would triple hydropower generation in Jammu and Kashmir from the current level of 3,000MW, the biggest jump in decades, added the officials, declining to be named because the approvals had not yet been made public.

"We have developed barely one-sixth of the hydropower capacity potential in the state in the last 50 years," the senior official at the Indian Water Resources Ministry said.

"Then one fine morning, you see we cleared six to seven projects in three months; it definitely raises concern in Pakistan."

Pakistan's water supply is dwindling because of climate change, outdated farming techniques and a fast-growing population.

A 2011 report by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said New Delhi could use these projects as a way to control Pakistan's supplies from the Indus, seen as its jugular vein.

"The cumulative effect of these projects could give India the ability to store enough water to limit the supply to Pakistan at crucial moments in the growing season," it said.

India says the projects are "run-of-the-river" schemes that use the river's flow and elevation to generate electricity rather than large reservoirs, and do not contravene the treaty.

Environmental groups have questioned whether the government has followed proper procedures in fast-tracking projects located in a highly seismic area.

'Blood and water'
Modi told a meeting of government officials on the Indus treaty last year that "blood and water cannot flow together", soon after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for a deadly attack on its troops in held Kashmir.

Modi's message was two-fold, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay said. Terrorism had to stop and India must fully utilise the economic potential available to it within the Indus treaty.

The projects that have won technical approvals in recent months are Sawalkote, Kwar, Pakal Dul, Bursar and Kirthai I and II.

Most of the projects have been held up for at least a decade awaiting multiple clearances. Sawalkote, which was cleared by a government-constituted environment committee in January, was first given techno-economic approval in 1991.

It is now up for forest clearance from the state authorities, after which the Indian government will finalize financing and begin construction.

Some projects like Pakal Dul were stuck in litigation, but that has been resolved, India-held Kashmir's Power Minister Nirmal Singh told Reuters in Srinagar. "Things are now in a position of take-off," he said.

In January, India's senior federal officials made a presentation on energy security to Modi in which they proposed interest subsidies and long-term loans for hydro projects above 100MW, according to the document seen by Reuters.

But Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, said some projects had been cleared without impact assessment studies and public consultation.

"It's on one river, the Chenab, where you are doing so many projects. This is a very vulnerable region. It's landslide-prone, it's flash flood-prone, earthquake-prone," Thakkar said.
 
It is imperative to consider all options to build dams on war footing basis

So that indian balckmail can be avoided also if there is any dispute in the future with india that will be WATER

No wonder QUAIDS PAKISTANS JUGLAR is KASHMIR

We need it back intensify the efforts to support the kashmiris morally ,diplomatically ,all across the globe

and build reservoirs underground ones or else our population growth and water shortage will be indirect defeat

We waiste huge amounts of water in the INDUS delta we should make bigger reservoirs to store the water

dams are good option but need to think out of the box

Indians would be upon us if we are slow

Neelum jhelum accomplisment is a great achievement but is slow initially in the construction phase although made 80% and beyound progress towards completion but still slow.

As a pakistani i am afraid that this can be avoided.

Needs serious work and thought process
 
we should utilise our share completely,and not let even 0.5% of our share flow to Pakistan and then into the sea.we should not waste our share for people who dont have value for water.

India should use all its resources to control water as p
Pakistan wants to control the trade routes.

The narrative to " make Pakistan dry out" is actually funny and outright stupid .Its good we dont see it here on the forum but im sure the masses believe in it because of their ignorance. Completely stopping a river flow means inundating the Kashmir valley.which of course they wont do.

Yes what they can do is disrupt and open gates at the wrong times and seasons which is disastrous. The solution to that is Pakistan builds its own dams downstream to nullify their affect and take back the control holding water for its land.

Even more hilarious is how Indians are defending their right to keep every drop of their share.If some Indians feel they are denying us something by consuming some of the water they should consult a geologist and ask what aquifers are.How water flows underground, how water going down the earth takes its natural course with gravity and descends down the very same path as that of the river .

Lastly if someone uses water as a weapon things wont stop there, there would be a bigger befitting reply something unexpected.And India is surrounded by water from three sides .Indians wouldnt want waters to be hostile would they?
 
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I hope indian government like you is not foolish enough to give us a chance. But we won't give it a second thought because for us breaking of IWT is an act of war.


reality is that we had the guts to do what we wnt unlike you who just bring army to the border, threaten us and then your brain is activated.

You guys only bark,nothing will happen.
 
Once india complete these projects. We will go to international court and World bank.
ver since the Indus Water Treaty has been signed you have gone to International Court and the World Bank. You have Lost Every Single Time. How will this time be any different.

Than with world support e will bomb the hell out of them using guided missiles and artillary as they are well within the range.
I am sorry no one in the World (not even your friend China) will support you to omb these barrages and dams. Lets say you do bomb these with your guided missiles and artilarry. Then two things will happen.
1 there will be a breach in these dams and barrages. As a result lower lying areas will be flooded. And guess which country lies in the lower direction of these dams and barrages?
2 Using guided missile to destroy Indian Dams will be open declaration of war. You wont be able to hide under excuse of normal cross border shelling or "Mujahideen". Once you have openly started the war you very well know the response from India specially when it is the Modi Govt in Power. Trust me we will be happy to have tis ready made excuse

hen we will stop indian gujrat water because Treaty doesn't cover modis own home.

Please tell me which river will you stop from giving water to Gujarat? the border between Pakistan and Gujarat is the vast desert of Kutch. Here is a map of the rivers of Gujarat. Please point out which river(s) you plan to stop

gujarat-river.jpg


Also our frind will get a chance to stop indian water and make you rely on rains only.

Your friend has been threatening to do so for a long time but has not done it. Moreover even if they stop the bhramaputra we get enough rain on the indian side to sustain the river. It will have negligible impact
 
It's only because of Modi's "blood and water" quote that this became an issue. This isn't a new issue or new plan.

The quote was meant for domestic consumption, as Modi team gives extreme importance to having all of India first.
Foreign policy is on the back burner, which is why we see him doing many things in foreign lands, but is overall a failure in foreign policy.
Domestic policy, first and foremost.

So, the "paranoia" from Pakistan is just non-sense. It's an exploitation of Modi's jumla.
Build your own projects instead. India has every right. Stop fooling the public.
 
ver since the Indus Water Treaty has been signed you have gone to International Court and the World Bank. You have Lost Every Single Time. How will this time be any different.


I am sorry no one in the World (not even your friend China) will support you to omb these barrages and dams. Lets say you do bomb these with your guided missiles and artilarry. Then two things will happen.
1 there will be a breach in these dams and barrages. As a result lower lying areas will be flooded. And guess which country lies in the lower direction of these dams and barrages?
2 Using guided missile to destroy Indian Dams will be open declaration of war. You wont be able to hide under excuse of normal cross border shelling or "Mujahideen". Once you have openly started the war you very well know the response from India specially when it is the Modi Govt in Power. Trust me we will be happy to have tis ready made excuse



Please tell me which river will you stop from giving water to Gujarat? the border between Pakistan and Gujarat is the vast desert of Kutch. Here is a map of the rivers of Gujarat. Please point out which river(s) you plan to stop

gujarat-river.jpg




Your friend has been threatening to do so for a long time but has not done it. Moreover even if they stop the bhramaputra we get enough rain on the indian side to sustain the river. It will have negligible impact

First:
We haven't lost the cases. India was forced to change the designs of many projects.
second:
who cares if india take it as a war declaration because we would tke breaking of IWT as a war declaration. You can't start a water war and expect calmness from adversary. We are not afraid of Modi hanuman powers. When he compare himself with your Gods, it don't effect us. We will show you the truth in that case. Pakistan with it's current ground realities will never lose a war. We will fight for 1000 years if necessary, from generation to generation. Our normal civilian is better arm than many armies of the world.
Third:
The world would support us as world bank is also a member of the treaty and it is 193 countries organization.
Fourth:
China is threatening india but not doing anything. But once india break water treaty, China will get an excuse to do so. They are already waiting for and opportunity.

You guys only bark,nothing will happen.
Try us. We did when we wanted to. You barked and than your go back to come barking next time. We don't care we die but we won't leave anyone of you alive too.

In your Language, its Kashmir people water, they should have first right to water , they can decide what they want to do with it..:P
It's indus valley civilization water. Modi and sikhs are not kashmiris than whu plan to divert water to their homes????????

Reality is India still hold more territory and more population % than 15 Aug 1947 and someone lost 56% of it's population during this time.
So Guts are not good enough. Results are more important.

India should use all its resources to control water as pakistan wants to control the trade routes.
Someone lost 56% territory 3000 miles away. But that won't hapen to someone again.
But someone else will be suffering in next few years.
 
India has right to 20% of water on Western Rivers.. and 80% of water on Eastern Rivers... India should exploit that allocated resources. Pakistan should exploit their quota of water rather than crying on India's efforts.


Hmm..... I gotta agree on this one. This is not in Pakistan's power. We have to be proactive.

I loathe the idea of being at India's mercy on this thing essential for life.

Not that India would be stupid enough to screw with IWT too drastically

why risk a nuclear holocaust? Don't most of us on both sides want peace?
 
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