ISLAMABAD: India has commenced the construction of two controversial hydro projects, Kiru and Kwar, on the Chenab River, with designs that allegedly violate the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) 1960, as reported by The News.
Pakistan and India are already entangled in a legal dispute in the court of arbitration and a neutral expert over the flawed designs of the 330MW Kishanganga and 850MW Ratle hydropower projects on Pakistan’s rivers.
Pakistan has raised objections to the designs of the Kiru hydropower project, capable of generating 624MW, and the Kwar hydroelectric power project of 540MW during recent discussions with India at the Permanent Indus Waters Commission (PIWC). Under the IWT, India is obligated to share the designs of its projects with Pakistan.
The Kiru hydropower project is situated along the Chenab River, near the villages of Patharnakki and Kiru, approximately 42 kilometers from Kishtwar. It lies between the Kirthai-II hydroelectric project upstream and the Kwar hydroelectric project downstream. Meanwhile, the Kwar project is described by India as a run-of-river project, with expected electricity generation of 1,975.54 GWh and four turbines, each with a 135MW nameplate capacity.
According to a senior official of Pakistan’s Commission of Indus Waters, Pakistan has submitted objections regarding components such as spillways, freeboard, and pondages for both projects. Despite Pakistan’s repeated objections, India appears to be repeating similar design issues previously seen in the Kishanganga and Ratle projects.
Currently, both nations are engaged in a legal battle in the court of arbitration (CoA) and with a neutral expert (NE) in The Hague over the flawed designs of the Kishanganga project on the Jhelum River and the Ratle project on the Chenab River. Pakistan asserts a strong case and anticipates that a favorable outcome would prevent India from pursuing future projects with designs that violate the IWT.
Regarding the Kiru project, it is being developed as a run-of-river scheme in the Kishtwar district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The project is a joint venture (JV) between National Hydroelectric Power (NHPC) and Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development (JKSPDC), with environmental clearance granted in 2016. It is expected to commence commercial operations in July 2025, featuring a concrete gravity dam and several associated components, including turbines and tailrace tunnels.
