NEW DELHI: As a political gesture to Pakistan, India may consider some technical changes in the design of the Rs. 4000-crore Baglihar hydropower project in Jammu and Kashmir if it can be done without compromising power generation and the safety of the dam.

According to informal sources, this was indicated to Pakistan last month before the country's President, Pervez Musharaff's ``cricket diplomacy'' visit to India and despite Islamabad having approached the World Bank for appointment of a neutral expert. Pakistan, however, wanted more. It insisted on India agreeing to all its demands, which were short-listed for discussion between both sides during the nearly week-long Water Resources Secretary-level bilateral talks in New Delhi in the first week of January this year.

The World Bank recently appointed Raymond Lafitte, a Swiss national, civil engineer and professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, as the neutral expert at Pakistan's request. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the World Bank has to satisfy itself that the procedure had been followed by the party which approaches it for appointment of a neutral expert, to resolve a "difference'' or a "dispute.''

Even as India waits to hear from the expert, it maintains that it is premature to say that there is a "difference'' between the two countries on Baglihar. It believes that the matter could be resolved bilaterally. Professor Lafitte's job is to make a finding on a "difference" between the two Governments on the project. He is yet to frame the procedure for his finding.

Pakistan is keen on India stopping construction of the dam on the Chenab river which will generate 450 MW power on completion in Jammu and Kashmir till the issues are resolved. Now that the World Bank — which had brokered the Indus Treaty between the two sides in 1960 — has been brought into the picture, Baglihar is out of the ``composite dialogue'' or bilateral talks. For a while, there was speculation that the project would be included in the ``composite dialogue'' between the two countries as the Tulbul navigation project is. Ever since Tulbul has been included in the political-level talks, all work on the project has been halted.

Objections

Pakistan has raised objections and commented adversely on all the projects that India has proposed on the eastern rivers (the Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej) allocated to it under the Treaty. Of these, 90 per cent of the projects are proposed for Jammu and Kashmir and the rest for Himachal Pradesh.

According to sources, on Baglihar, India has indicated its willingness to Pakistan to consider on technical grounds the issues relating to provision of low-level intake, fixation of one low-level spillway crest to a higher level (for release of flood waters) and reduction of the freeboard level of the dam without compromising on the hydroelectric generation. This was done after understanding the basis and objections and perceptions that were placed on the table for the first time during the New Delhi talks in January.

However, India's apprehensions are that if it were to dispense with the low-level water intake, it would have to postpone the commissioning of the powerhouse by at least two months.

Salal design

The second issue of raising a low-level spillway to a higher level might allay Pakistan's "fears'' of downstream floods but raise the possibility of silt accumulation in the dam, as has happened with the Salal project in Jammu and Kashmir. The Salal design works as a sieve for the waters flowing downstream. Pakistan is said to be looking for something like this in the Baglihar design as well.

The third issue that India may consider as a political expediency is for reducing the freeboard in the height of the dam, though the Jammu and Kashmir Government has so far not agreed to this.

The freeboard is meant to cushion the dam from being damaged by the waves effect.

A situation like this arose in 1988 with the Bhakra dam in Punjab.

The Treaty allocates 33 million acre feet (MAF) to India from the eastern rivers as against 135 million acre feet allocated to Pakistan from the western rivers.

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