The Hindu : National : India, Pakistan to hold talks on Baglihar project

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 21, 2004

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National

India, Pakistan to hold talks on Baglihar project

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, JUNE 20. A Pakistan delegation is arriving here tomorrow for Secretary-level talks on Tuesday on India's Baglihar hydropower project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir. This is the first time that the contentious run-of-the river project has been included in the `composite dialogue' agenda between India and Pakistan. So far, the issue has been discussed in the Permanent Indus Commission under the respective Water Resources Ministries. Earlier, only the Tulbul barrage project in Jammu and Kashmir had formed part of the composite talks between the two countries.

The level of the talks has been raised to accommodate Pakistan's concerns on the Baglihar Dam, which is under construction in Doda district. The project, which is slated to be completed in 2005, will generate 450 MW power for the northern grid including Jammu and Kashmir.

The talks have been sandwiched between the specific nuclear confidence building measures talks that concluded here today and the coming Foreign Secretary-level dialogue later this month.

The Pakistan delegation will be led by the Water Secretary, Ashfaq Mehmood, and include the Indus Commissioner, Jamait Ali Shah. The Indian delegation will be headed by the Water Resources Secretary, V.K. Duggal, and will include the Indus Commissioner, D.K. Mehta.

Pakistan has been raising objections to the design of the dam saying it will affect water flows downstream. India maintains that the technical design of the project, not involving storage, is well within the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1962, and national and international practices. Pakistan also argues that the gated structure of the project could restrict about 8,000 cusecs of water to it. India denies it saying that the limited pondage facility was only to get the required depth for power generation.

Last October, India facilitated a `special visit' by the Pakistan Indus Commissioner and others to visit the dam site in Jammu and Kashmir. Apparently, the Pakistan side was not convinced and had threatened to bring in neutral experts — ostensibly the World Bank which had negotiated the treaty. India has all along maintained that the matter could be resolved bilaterally. It has asked Pakistan to substantiate its objections to the design.

There was another round of talks between the Commissioners in Islamabad in January this year under the directions of both the Governments without the matter being resolved. The issue was also raised in the regular annual meeting between the two sides in May.

Since there was a stalemate at the Commissioner level, the matter would now be taken up by the two Secretaries in the spirit of the prevailing peace process.

Under the treaty, India has rights over the waters of the Ravi, the Sutlej and the Beas, while Pakistan has been granted riparian rights over the waters of the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum.

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