In a significant move after the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a panel under the Environment Ministry has approved the 260 MW Dulhasti State-II hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. 

The clearance comes two months after approval was granted to the 1,856 MW Sawalkot project on the same river, indicating a faster push to harness hydropower potential in the region. Dulhasti State-II, estimated to cost Rs 3,200 crore, will extend the existing 390 MW Dulhasti State-I project that has been operational since 2007, with water diverted through a separate tunnel.

Despite an estimated hydropower potential of nearly 20,000 MW on Jammu and Kashmir’s western rivers, India has developed only 3,482 MW so far. The new approvals signal efforts to better utilise its lawful share under the treaty framework. The project will involve the acquisition of more than eight hectares of privately owned land from the villages of Benzwar and Palmer in Kishtwar district.