The Sawalkote Hydroelectric Power Project, a strategically significant initiative on the Chenab River in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, is on the verge of receiving environmental clearance. This development follows a recommendation for approval by the Union Environment Ministry's sectoral expert panel on hydel projects.
The 1,865-MW project, to be implemented by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd, is one of the largest planned for the Chenab River. The project had already received the panel's nod for environmental clearance in January 2017. However, the final clearance order was not issued since the forest clearance for diversion of 846 hectares had not been granted. This includes the felling of 222,081 trees, with 126,462 trees in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The project's revival comes after the Centre put the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack in April this year, expediting projects of strategic importance. The Ministry of Home Affairs has emphasized the project's strategic importance, stating that swift construction is essential to harness the Chenab River's potential.
The Sawalkote project is a run-of-the-river project that will use water from the Chenab River in the Ramban, Reasi, and Udhampur districts. It will be constructed in two phases, with an estimated cost of Rs 31,380 crore. Stage I will have a capacity of 1,406 MW (6x225MW & 1x56MW), and Stage II will have a capacity of 450 MW (2x225MW). The project area spans 1,401 hectares and includes a 192.5-meter-high concrete dam, an upstream short water channel, an underground power station, and a system to return water to the river. The dam will have a reservoir capacity of 530 million cubic meters spread over 1,159 hectares.
The expert appraisal committee of the environment ministry has specified environmental conditions and safeguards for the project. These include setting up a dedicated team to oversee environmental management activities, installing an online monitoring system for e-flow releases, and establishing a detailed compensation mechanism for land acquisition. The panel has also mandated a study on the project's environmental impact by an independent agency five years after commissioning, along with socio-economic and disaster management security conditions.
The Chenab River basin already has three operational projects: the 390-MW Dulhasti project at Kishtwar, the 890-MW Baglihar at Ramban, and the 690-MW Salal project at Reasi. The Sawalkote project is one of six strategic hydropower developments aimed at optimizing India's use of Indus waters.
Notably, the Environment Ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) granted an exemption from cumulative impact and carrying capacity studies (CIA and CCS) for the project. These studies are typically essential for gauging the long-term ecological and social impacts of large hydroelectric projects. The FAC's decision was influenced by letters from the Ministries of Power and Home Affairs, citing the "current geopolitical scenario" and the project's strategic importance. The Ministry of Home Affairs argued that conducting these studies might risk exposing sensitive hydrological data.
While the "in-principle" approval for forest diversion has been granted, the final approval is subject to environmental clearance for the project by the UT government. The project will involve forest diversion from Udhampur, Mahore, Batote, and Ramban divisions. Compensatory afforestation has been proposed over 2115.878 ha of degraded forest land in the same forest divisions.
