Exclusive | With Indus Waters Treaty on hold, Centre’s panel recommends green nod for Sawalkote hydel project on Chenab

The Centre expedited the project, first initiated in 1984, after putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year. Under the IWT, the west-flowing Chenab, Indus and Jhelum rivers are under Pakistan’s control.

As first reported by The Indian Express on September 22, the Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on hydroelectric and river valley projects took up Sawalkote for appraisal at its September 26 meeting. The panel had earlier recommended the project for environmental clearance in January 2017, but the final approval was held up pending forest clearance for diversion of 846 hectares. This will involve cutting 2,22,081 trees, the maximum (1,26,462) in Ramban district.

During appraisal on September 26, the EAC noted that since the project could not move forward after 2017, a fresh proposal was submitted with updated baseline studies. Primary data for the earlier environmental impact assessment had been collected in 2012; the project proponent has now gathered new data across three seasons — monsoon (July 2022), winter (January 2023), and pre-monsoon (May 2023).

Under the Ministry’s norms, projects that fail to secure in-principle forest clearance within 18 months must update baseline studies. The EAC noted no significant changes in environmental baseline data from 2012 to 2023, though it recorded “an increasing influence of anthropogenic activities such as domestic wastewater discharge, road construction, and runoff from settlements and agricultural areas on water bodies”.

On the issue of public hearing, the panel said a fresh one was not required since key project features such as location, technical parameters, land requirement, and affected villages remain unchanged. The last hearing was held in January 2016 in Udhampur and Ramban.

Interestingly, the EAC minutes did not mention whether cumulative impact assessment (CIA) and carrying capacity studies (CCS) for the Chenab basin were considered before recommending clearance. Such studies are generally required under ministry norms to assess the long-term ecological and social impacts of large hydropower projects.

The question of exemption from these studies was addressed earlier by the Environment Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) while considering forest clearance. The FAC had held that since the project was initiated in 1984, the CIA and CCS guidelines introduced in 2013 would not apply retrospectively. It also took note of letters from the Ministries of Power and Home Affairs seeking exemption on strategic grounds.

In its letter, the Home Ministry said the project was of “strategic importance” and that swift construction was “essential for leveraging the Chenab river’s potential”. The Power Ministry stated that in the “current geopolitical scenario”, undertaking the studies could delay approvals and affect implementation of key hydel projects in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chenab basin already hosts three operational projects — the 390 MW Dulhasti in Kishtwar, the 890 MW Baglihar in Ramban, and the 690 MW Salal in Reasi.