India Begins Dam Projects in Disputed Kashmir

India has commenced sediment-clearing operations at key hydroelectric sites in Kashmir, a move that marks its first direct deviation from the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty following its recent suspension.

Officials confirm that state-owned NHPC Ltd began flushing the reservoirs of the Salal and Baglihar hydroelectric projects on 1 May without notifying Pakistan—a departure from standard protocol under the now-stalled agreement. The decision follows India’s withdrawal from the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty after a deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region killed 26 people. Indian authorities identified two of the attackers as Pakistani nationals, a claim Islamabad has vehemently denied. The treaty, which has withstood three wars and multiple skirmishes, governs water-sharing rights over six rivers and is considered one of the most resilient bilateral agreements in South Asia. The Salal and Baglihar facilities, built in 1987 and 2009 respectively on the Chenab River, are among India’s most strategic hydropower assets in the Himalayan region. Both have suffered from performance drops due to silt accumulation, prompting what insiders say is a critical but controversial reservoir flushing process—where water is drained to clear sediment obstructing turbines. “The operation enhances energy efficiency and safeguards infrastructure integrity, but it causes temporary water loss,” said a senior official involved in the project. The process lasted three days, with visible outflow from the dams observed by residents in Jammu and Kashmir from Thursday to Saturday last week. The move is seen as both technical necessity and geopolitical signal. Experts say India, under the suspended treaty, is no longer obligated to alert Pakistan on hydrological operations or flood-level changes.

“This is the first act of unilateral hydrological management since the treaty’s pause. It’s a calculated shift,” said Kushvinder Vohra, former chief of the Central Water Commission. Pakistan has warned that any interference with downstream water flow would be treated as an act of war. Islamabad depends on the Indus river system for nearly 80% of its agriculture. Legal experts in Pakistan are reportedly preparing to mount a case at international forums, citing treaty violations and potential environmental consequences. India’s water minister recently asserted that not a single drop of Indus water should flow into Pakistan—a stark indication of the government’s evolving posture on cross-border resource diplomacy. The current developments could also impact other pending projects in the region, such as Kishenganga and Ratle, both of which have seen disputes heard at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. While the immediate impact on Pakistan’s water supply remains minimal, environmental observers warn that continued sediment flushing and reservoir expansion could have downstream effects, especially during monsoon seasons. Furthermore, the escalation threatens to derail long-standing regional cooperation on sustainable water use—a critical pillar of climate resilience in the subcontinent.

The recalibration of water relations between India and Pakistan now presents a broader challenge to peacebuilding and climate-friendly infrastructure planning in South Asia. As both countries expand dam construction in ecologically fragile zones, balancing national security with sustainability and equity remains an urgent yet elusive goal.

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India Begins Dam Projects in Disputed Kashmir