The Hindu : National : Baglihar: Pakistan wanted construction stopped

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Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007
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National

National

Baglihar: Pakistan wanted construction stopped

Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: India has claimed a "moral victory" in the determination of the World Bank-appointed neutral expert that it could complete the 450 MW hydropower project in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, because Pakistan had wanted it to stop construction of the project till the differences were sorted out.

In its preliminary arguments also before the neutral expert, Raymond Lafitte, Pakistan had sought directions for India to stop construction of the dam that is meant to supply power to Jammu and Kashmir. With its final determination, the expert has cleared the dam.

This was the first time since the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 that a neutral expert had been appointed at the behest of Pakistan on the charges that certain features of the dam did not conform to the criteria specified in the treaty.

While upholding India's design of the project, the neutral expert has emphasised the need to incorporate state-of-the-art technology for projects built under the Indus Waters Treaty for reasons of safety and optimum utilisation of waters. He observed: "The general rules of treaty interpretation allow him to have recourse to rules of science and technology and state-of-the-art practices, in his assessment of the concept and design of the Baglihar dam and hydropower electric plant."

According to the Ministry of Water resources, the decision of the neutral expert recognises India's right to utilise the waters of the western rivers more effectively, within the ambit of the Treaty, for power generation.

The World Bank appointed Mr. Lafitte, Professor at the Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne, Switzerland, as the neutral expert in May, 2005. During the 18 months after his appointment, he held five meetings in Paris, Geneva, London and Washington. He also visited the Baglihar dam site in Doda and its hydraulic model at Roorkee. During the site inspection, the Pakistan team was also included at India's invitation.

The neutral expert reached his conclusions after a detailed analysis of a data base of about 13,000 dams from the International Commission on Large Dam (ICOLD)'s World Register of Dams to analyse the type of spillway, gated or ungated, and after a review of the history of construction of large orifice outlets and guidelines of ICOLD. He upheld India's contention on gated spillways to manage floods and sedimentation.Accordingly, India's design of sluice spillway in the Baglihar dam with five outlets has been regarded as appropriate and permissible under the Treaty.

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