What Is The Project On The Jhelum River?

The Jhelum River is one of the largest and most important rivers in Kashmir. It originates from the Verinag Spring situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas in south Kashmir. The river then flows through the Kashmir Valley, passing through the city of Srinagar, before entering the Wullar Lake and ultimately draining into the Indus River near southern Kashmir.

The Jhelum River basin covers a total length of about 725 kilometers and spans a drainage area of around 21,500 square kilometers across the Kashmir region. The river is the main source of water for over 3 million people living in the Kashmir Valley. It also helps to sustain extensive agricultural activity in the region. Due to its immense importance to the region, the river has been central to Kashmiri life and culture for centuries.

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Project Overview

The main goal of projects on the Jhelum River is to develop the river’s vast hydropower potential and manage its flood risk. The Jhelum River flows through the disputed Kashmir region and into Pakistan, where it joins the Chenab River. The river holds great promise for clean electricity generation and irrigation in Pakistan (IFC). However, the river is also prone to destructive flooding, especially in the monsoon season.

Major projects underway include the 720MW Karot Hydropower Project, backed by Chinese investments (Power Technology). Pakistan also plans to revive the Tulbul navigation project, stalled for over 30 years due to tensions with India. This project aims to create a navigation lock on the Jhelum to allow year-round navigation and regulate release from the Wullar Lake reservoir.

Overall, projects on the Jhelum seek to harness its resources responsibly for electricity and irrigation while mitigating flood risk. Joint development of the river basin with India could unlock its full potential and benefit both nations.

Key Players

The Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project is owned and operated by Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) [1]. WAPDA awarded the construction contract to a Chinese consortium led by China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC). The consortium also included China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Andritz Hydro, and HCE Hong Kong Company [2].

Other key players in the project include:

Government of Pakistan – Provided funding and oversight

Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir – Provided land access and coordination as the project is located in Pakistan-administered Kashmir
International lenders – Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and Export-Import Bank of China provided loans and financing
Engineering consultants – Engineering design work was contracted to various firms including NESPAK, SMEC, ACE, MWH Global, TYPSA, and more

Environmental Impact

The Jhelum River hydroelectric project has significant impacts on the surrounding environment and ecosystem. The construction of dams and reservoirs directly affects river hydrology, disrupting the natural flow regime and sediment transport downstream [1]. Flooding of areas upstream of dams converts terrestrial habitat into lentic habitat, displacing wildlife and vegetation. Reservoirs increase evaporation loss, resulting in less water flowing downstream [2].

Hydropower projects reduce seasonal flooding that sustains downstream wetlands and floodplain agriculture. Altered water flows and temperatures affect fish migration, breeding, and survival. Dam construction leads to deforestation and quarrying, increasing erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity. Overall, large dams fragment river connectivity and modify natural hydrological cycles [3].

Flood Control

The main objective of the Jhelum River flood control project is to prevent devastating floods like the one in 2014 that caused immense damage and loss of life in Kashmir. The project aims to widen and deepen the river channel, strengthen embankments, build bypass channels, construct pump stations, and create reservoirs to regulate water flow.https://jtfrp.in/ The goal is to increase the carrying capacity of the Jhelum and its tributaries to contain flood surges. Structural measures like dredging and embankments will help regulate the river’s flow while non-structural measures like catchment area treatment and installation of flood forecasting systems are also part of the plan.

The project blueprint has identified over 40 spots along the Jhelum and its tributaries that are vulnerable to flooding. These sites will see construction of protection infrastructure like embankments, spur dykes and river training works. The plan is to increase the flood discharge capacity of the Jhelum from its existing 29,000 cusecs to 60,000 cusecs at Sangam in South Kashmir.

Hydropower Generation

The Jhelum River is vital for hydropower generation in Pakistan. There are several major hydropower projects on the river designed to generate electricity for the country.

The Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant is one of the largest hydropower projects in Pakistan. Located in Azad Kashmir, the project has an installed capacity of 969 MW and was completed in 2018 after almost 20 years of construction. It diverts water from the Neelum River through a system of tunnels and an underground power station. The project was built at a cost of over $2.16 billion [1].

The Karot Hydropower Project is another major 720 MW run-of-river project on the Jhelum River in the Rawalpindi district. Construction began in 2016 and is expected to be complete by 2022. The $1.4 billion project is being developed by a Chinese company [2].

In addition, the Kishanganga Hydropower Plant (330 MW), Baglihar Dam (450 MW), and Dul Hasti Dam (390 MW) are other major operational hydropower projects on the Jhelum River and its tributaries. Several more dams and hydroelectric projects are in various stages of planning and development as Pakistan seeks to expand hydropower capacity and electricity generation.

Irrigation

One of the main goals of the Jalalpur Irrigation Project is to improve irrigation for agriculture in the surrounding areas. The project will help provide consistent water supply for irrigation through the construction of the Jalalpur dam and canal system. Once completed, the project is expected to irrigate over 100,000 hectares of agricultural land.

The dam and canal system will help capture water during monsoon season and snowmelt and regulate the flow for year-round use. This will allow farmers to irrigate crops consistently, which is expected to increase agricultural productivity in the region. Many farmers currently rely on unpredictable rainfall for irrigation. The regulated water supply from the project will provide a more reliable source.

Overall, the agricultural irrigation improvements are considered one of the major benefits of the Jalalpur Irrigation Project. With more consistent and reliable irrigation, farmers will be able to grow more diverse crops and increase yields. This will boost incomes and livelihoods for many in the surrounding rural communities.

Infrastructure

The Jhelum River project involves constructing significant infrastructure like roads, bridges, and power stations. Major infrastructure projects include:

The Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant, located in Azad Kashmir, features a large network of tunnels diverting water from the Neelum River to the Jhelum River to generate electricity. It has an installed capacity of 969 MW (Neelum–Jhelum Hydropower Plant).

The 720 MW Karot Hydropower Project on the Jhelum River in the Rawalpindi district features the construction of a concrete gravity dam and an underground powerhouse (Karot Hydropower Project, Pakistan).

The Jhelum Riverfront Project in Srinagar involves rejuvenating over 35 kilometers of the riverfront area with promenades, bridges, gardens and other public spaces (Srinagar finds its genesis with novel Jhelum River Front).

Criticisms

The Jhelum River project has faced some criticism and concerns. One major concern is the environmental impact of the project. Some environmental groups have criticized the lack of environmental impact assessments conducted before construction began, leading to negative impacts on local wildlife and ecosystems (source). There are also concerns about proper resettlement and compensation of displaced populations (source).

Additionally, some have criticized the economic viability and long-term sustainability of the project. The Neelum-Jhelum hydropower plant was abandoned by its Chinese contractor just a few years after completion, raising questions about construction quality and economic feasibility (source). There are concerns that the project’s costs may outweigh its benefits.

Others argue the flood control components of the project are inadequate and that more comprehensive flood protection measures are needed. Some experts claim the project’s flood channels and dams may be insufficient for controlling major flood events (source).

Impact and Legacy

The Jhelum River basin is facing severe environmental degradation due to various development projects undertaken in the past few decades. The construction of several hydropower projects like Uri, Kishanganga and Baglihar has altered the natural flow of the Jhelum River and impacted the fragile Himalayan ecology (https://journals.pakistanreview.com/index.php/GJPR/article/download/130/80/419).

While the hydropower projects have greatly enhanced energy security and electricity access in the region, they have also negatively affected biodiversity, forests and agricultural practices. Studies indicate declining fish populations and changes in microclimate in the areas around the dams (https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/28/042/28042061.pdf).

On the positive side, the regulated water flow has enabled better flood control, especially during the monsoon season. But the dams have also been blamed for increasing the flood vulnerability in downstream areas like Srinagar (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/8/6/246).

Overall, the hydropower projects on Jhelum have left a mixed legacy. They have been crucial for economic growth but the environmental and social costs have been quite high. More efforts are needed to mitigate the ecological impact and ensure equitable sharing of benefits with affected communities.