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The Indian government has approved the 1,856-MW Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, reviving a project stalled for nearly four decades. The run-of-the-river project, managed by NHPC, is designed to generate around 7,534 million units of electricity annually and strengthen northern states' power supply. The project includes environmental safeguards, rehabilitation plans for about 1,500 affected families, and measures for biodiversity conservation. Its revival follows India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, allowing freer development of western river infrastructure.
The Indian government has granted approval for the 1,856-megawatt Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, marking the revival of a scheme stalled for almost four decades. The project, implemented by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited, is part of India's strategy to fully utilise its share of western river waters under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Advertisement
The project follows the suspension of the treaty with Pakistan, announced earlier this year after the Pahalgam terror attack, which allows India to develop infrastructure on the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers without diplomatic constraints. The project will span Ramban, Reasi, and Udhampur districts and is designed as a run-of-the-river facility with a 192.5-meter-high roller-compacted concrete dam and underground powerhouses. It is expected to generate approximately 7,534 million units of electricity annually, making it the largest hydropower project in the Union Territory and enhancing peaking power and grid stability for northern states.
The Sawalkote project carries both strategic and developmental significance. Beyond energy generation, it will improve India's capacity to manage and store Chenab waters, a right previously limited under IWT due to engineering challenges and diplomatic sensitivities. The project received Stage-I forest clearance and has been reviewed by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for river valley and hydroelectric projects. The updated proposal covers 1,401.35 hectares, including 847.17 hectares of forest land. No protected area lies within a 10-kilometer radius, and the nearest sanctuary, Kishtwar High Altitude National Park, is 63 kilometers away.
NHPC has allocated INR 594 crore for environmental mitigation, up from INR 392 crore previously. Measures include catchment-area treatment, muck disposal, biodiversity conservation, and long-term monitoring of air, water, soil, and aquatic ecosystems. The project affects 13 villages and will displace about 1,500 families, primarily in Ramban district. A detailed rehabilitation and resettlement plan offers housing, livelihood support, and skill development. Around 1,500 people will be employed during construction, with about 200 technical staff retained for operations.
Public hearings held in early 2016 highlighted local concerns about compensation, connectivity, healthcare, education, forest loss, and river impacts. The EAC reviewed updated environmental data and responses and found the proposal compliant with regulatory norms, recommending clearance with specific safeguards. The project, first conceived in the 1980s, had faced repeated delays due to forest clearances, rehabilitation issues, and cumulative impact studies. Recent clearance decisions by the Forest Advisory Committee and home ministry supported the project on strategic grounds, noting that newer assessment norms should not retroactively apply to older projects.
Source PTI
5th Jun, 2025
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