With Union Power Minister Manohar Lal saying that the government will revive the Tulbul project on the Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir as it no longer needs Pakistan’s consent after the Centre put the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance, hopes are generated here that finally J&K may have sufficient electric power in coming days. Talking to media the Union Minister said that India will “definitely” work on new hydro-electric projects in the wake of the suspension of the IWT with Pakistan following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. He said, earlier, the government had to discuss any such project with Pakistan. Talking about Tulbul, he said the project was conceived in 1981 but Pakistan did not give its consent and it was shelved. “Now, when there is no need (for consent), we will restart the project and a DPR will be prepared soon,” Khattar said.
The Tulbul project, which envisaged constructing a 439-ft-long and 40-ft-wide barrage with a storage capacity of 0.30 million-acre-feet (MAF) below the Wular Lake near Ningli in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district to stabilise Jhelum’s water level, was abandoned midway in 1987 after strong objections from Pakistan. Fact of the matter is that Indus Water Treaty has been a big handicap for J&K to fully harness its hydro-electric potential as there were restrictions imposed on the storage of water and hence whatever generation is done, is purely dependent on run of the river. During winters the water levels in rivers reduce drastically and thus J&K faces acute electric power shortage.
The electric power has been a main issue confronting Jammu and Kashmir. During winters, people of Kashmir Valley and Jammu’s winter zone suffer terribly as they have to face longer power cuts. And during summers, Jammu’s plains suffer due to the shortage of electricity. In rural areas the situation turns more pathetic as people don’t get electricity even for eight hours in 24 hours. Same happens in Jammu plains during summers. When people here are in dire need of electricity to fight scorching heat, they have to face frequent power cuts.
Now that the Centre has put IWT in abeyance, it is an ideal time to exploit the full potential of the waters in Jammu and Kashmir and generate more power. That said, there is one more reality which should not be ignored, instead should be taken care of. Jammu and Kashmir is the only place which, despite generating electricity, remains in the dark as electricity generated here goes to the NHPC, which then sells it back to the people. The UT government should focus on this issue too and seek the return of at least some power projects from NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation).