India Announced Big Move As Pakistan Kept Watching: Sawalkot Hydropower Project On Chenab To Resume After 40 Years

India resumes work on long-stalled 1,856 MW Sawalkot hydropower project in Jammu & Kashmir, signalling a bold shift in Indus water policy post-Pahalgam attack.

Sawalkot hydropower project. (Photo: Greater Kashmir)

Srinagar: The Sawalkot hydropower project lay buried in bureaucratic delays and geopolitical tensions for decades. Now, for the first time in 40 years, India has moved to bring the stalled dream back to life. Days after suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, New Delhi has given the green signal to resume work on the long-pending project along the Chenab river.

The decision marks a strategic shift. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) floated international tenders on Wednesday for design and engineering work on the project.

Located near the village of Sidhra in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, Sawalkot is designed to generate 1,856 megawatts of power. It could eventually become one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the region.

The deadline for tender submission is set for September 10.

Old Blueprint, New Push

The Sawalkot project was conceptualised in the 1980s but never got off the ground. It ran into hurdles almost immediately. Pakistan raised repeated objections under the Indus Waters Treaty, arguing that such projects on western rivers violated the spirit of the agreement.

While maintaining it was within its rights, India paused the process several times.

There were domestic challenges too such as compensation for families in 13 affected villages, shifting a transit camp of the Army and getting forest clearance under environmental rules. All of this stalled any real progress.

Now, many of those hurdles appear to have been cleared. Earlier this month, the Forest Advisory Committee gave in-principle approval to divert around 847 hectares of forest land for the project. The government has also waived the water usage fee for the NHPC, offering it a financial cushion.

More Than a Dam

The Centre sees Sawalkot as a national-level infrastructure need that is important not only for Jammu & Kashmir, but also for the wider push towards energy independence. It is a run-of-the-river project, meaning it will not require large reservoirs but will harness the natural flow of the Chenab to generate electricity.

The estimated cost of the project is over Rs 22,700 crore, and it will be developed in two phases.

A Treaty Under Stress

When the Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, India got control over three eastern rivers, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej. Pakistan received rights over the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The treaty allowed India limited use of water from the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes, including hydropower.

For years, India respected those limits. But with Pakistan using the treaty to repeatedly block projects, New Delhi’s patience has thinned. By moving forward with Sawalkot now, India appears to be asserting its rights more strongly.

A Political Legacy Revisited

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who also holds the power portfolio in the current administration, said the revival of Sawalkot was overdue. “This project is very important. I had tried to restart it during my last tenure, but many roadblocks came in the way,” he said.

He highlighted that the original work was stopped in 1996. His father and former Chief Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah, had tried to restart it with the help of a Norwegian consortium, but even that attempt failed. Later, under Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s leadership, the project was shelved entirely.

Now, nearly three decades later, the wheels are turning again.

The Sawalkot dam might not just light up homes. It might light up a whole new phase in India’s water diplomacy.