In the wake of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan—a decisive move following the Pahalgam terror attack—India has wasted no time in asserting its hydrological rights. The government has launched a two-pronged strategy: clearing long-neglected reservoirs and fast-tracking six major hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to top officials, "reservoir flushing"—a process that removes sediment build-up—has begun at the Salal and Baglihar hydropower stations, managed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). This marks the first time such maintenance has been possible since their construction in 1987 and 2009 respectively, with the IWT previously prohibiting the practice due to potential downstream flooding risks in Pakistan.
This newfound freedom also extends to long-delayed construction. Six key hydroelectric ventures are now being revived: the 1,856 MW Sawalkot project, Kirthai I and II (totaling 1,320 MW), the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul dam, and three additional projects expected to generate 2,224 MW. Combined, these could push J&K’s power output near the 10,000 MW mark, while simultaneously boosting irrigation and water availability for northern India.
Under the now-suspended treaty, India would have had to notify Pakistan six months before starting any such work—an opportunity Islamabad had often used to stall Indian efforts via legal objections. Now, that bureaucratic leash is off.
Government insiders say the flushing operation is critical not just for improved power efficiency, but also for the protection of critical turbine infrastructure at both plants, which have reportedly been functioning below their intended capacity.
Top-level coordination is already underway. A high-powered meeting this week, likely to include Home Minister Amit Shah, Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil, Power Minister M.L. Khattar, and Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will finalize next steps. Two rounds of preliminary discussions have already taken place, focusing not only on existing projects but also on tapping into the Chenab and Jhelum rivers and rejuvenating the ecologically vital Wular Lake.
India’s April 24 suspension of the IWT—a 1960 agreement that granted Pakistan control over the Indus and its western tributaries—has hit Islamabad where it hurts. The river system is the lifeblood of Pakistan’s agriculture, supplying about 80% of its farmland. Predictably, Pakistan has pushed back, denying any role in the Pahalgam attack and warning that any effort to withhold or divert water would be seen as an “act of war.”
Experts, however, emphasize that while immediate diversion is unlikely due to limited storage capacity, the treaty’s suspension lifts decades-old restrictions. India can now pursue storage-heavy infrastructure on rivers previously off-limits. Kushvinder Vohra, former chief of the Central Water Commission and veteran of Indus negotiations, summed it up: “India can now act at will.”