India will shortly start construction work on Kishanganga hydropower project with the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague having ruled in its favour.

The project which includes three units of 110 MW (330 MW) is expected to come up with an investment of Rs 3,642.04 crore. Of which Rs 1,390.53 crore has already been invested by the country. The proposed project being implemented by NHPC involves construction of 37 mtrs tall concrete dam. Located in Baramullah in Jammu and Kashmir the project comprises of the diversion of the Kishanganga river, a tributary of the Jhelum into an underground powerhouse near Bandipur and the discharge of the water into the Wular lake.

The civil construction work for the project has been awarded to Hindustan Construction Co while planning, design and engineering is being undertaken by the UK’s Halcrow Group; tunneling, electro mechanical and hydro mechanical work is by Italy’s Seli SpA, state-owned BHEL and Germany’s DSD Noell, respectively. The project is expected to be commissioned by 2016-17.

Earlier, Pakistan had questioned the legality of the construction and operation of the project under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 stating it will affect the Neelum-Jhelum project constructed by Pakistan downstream of the Kishanganga project.

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