India has halted the flow of water to Pakistan from the Baglihar dam on Chenab river and is set to curtail runoffs from the Kishanganga project on the Jhelum in a retaliatory move following Islamabad’s latest ballistic missile test.
The decision was implemented within hours of Pakistan’s missile launch on Saturday with New Delhi also imposing a ban on Pakistan-flagged ships docking at Indian ports.
According to senior National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) officials, desilting operations at Baglihar dam commenced over the weekend. Sluice gates were lowered, reducing the water flow downstream to Pakistan by up to 90 per cent.
“We have closed the gates of the Baglihar hydel power project. We had done de-silting of the reservoir and it has to be refilled. The process was started on Saturday,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.
Another NHPC official added, “Since India has kept the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, we are exploring all possible ways to use our river waters for the benefit of our citizens.”
India has suspended the 64-year-old treaty with Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
In tandem with the Baglihar operations, the authorities are planning similar flow-halting measures at the Kishanganga dam in the Gurez valley of North-Western Himalayas, citing maintenance requirements.
The Jal Shakti Ministry reportedly briefed the Union Home Ministry on Saturday, outlining further plans to augment water supply to northern Indian states from the Indus system.
“We are ready with stringent punitive measures against Pakistan and nearly 50 engineers from the NHPC are already in J&K to oversee the operations,” said the official.
India is also pushing ahead with construction on four key hydropower projects on Chenab river and its tributaries — Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kwar (540 MW) and Ratle (850 MW). These are being implemented through a joint venture between NHPC and the J&K State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC).
Progress on these projects varies. Pakal Dul has reached 66 per cent completion, Kiru 55 per cent, Kwar 19 per cent and Ratle 21 per cent, according to officials.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stones for the Pakal Dul, Kiru and Kwar projects in May 2018, February 2019 and April 2022, respectively.
The official added that the Ratle project, where construction had slowed earlier, is now gaining momentum. “There’s 21 per cent physical progress made so far. We expect to complete it by November 2028,” he said.
The coffer dam, a pre-dam structure at Ratle, is nearing completion.
Meanwhile, the 930 MW Kirthai project is progressing through pending clearances following a memorandum between NHPC and JKSPDC.
Pakistan has long objected to both the Kishanganga and Ratle projects, alleging they violate the IWT. In June 2024, a five-member delegation from Pakistan, along with World Bank-appointed neutral expert Michel Lino, inspected the Ratle site at Drabshalla in Kishtwar.
Together, Pakal Dul, Kiru, Kwar and Ratle are expected to generate over 10,541 million units (MU) of electricity annually, contributing to a total capacity of 3,014 MW.
J&K possesses an estimated hydropower potential of 18,000 MW, with 11,283 MW identified in the Chenab basin alone. However, just 23.81 per cent of this capacity has been harnessed so far with 3,084 MW in the Jhelum basin and 500 MW in the Ravi basin.
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