Indus pact on hold, Govt plans monthly flushing of Salal and Baglihar dams

With the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance and the government having already carried out the first flushing exercise at Baglihar and Salal — its two run-of-the-river hydroelectric projects on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir — the Central Water Commission (CWC) has now recommended that such flushing become a monthly routine, it is learned. As first reported by The Indian Express on May 4, NHPC and the Jammu & Kashmir administration have begun flushing the Salal and Baglihar reservoirs to clear out sediment that hinders power output. This is the first such exercise since Salal was built in 1987 and Baglihar in 2008-09, after Pakistan’s repeated objections under the IWT had previously blocked these works. Sources said the flushing that began in early May removed just over 7.5 million cubic metres (MCM) of sediment from the 690 MW Salal and 900 MW Baglihar reservoirs. “The CWC has now recommended that forced flushing be carried out monthly for both projects, and an SOP will be issued shortly,” a senior official said.