New Delhi (Web Desk) — India’s Ministry of Environment’s high-level committee has granted Environmental Clearance to the proposed 1,856-megawatt Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The move comes at a time when the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan remains suspended, heightening regional tensions over water resources.
According to India’s news agency PTI, the Sawalkot Project is one of the largest hydroelectric power projects in India’s Chenab basin and holds strategic importance. The project had been stalled for nearly four decades but has now received the green light to begin construction.
Pakistan has consistently opposed Indian hydro projects on the Chenab River, labeling them a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Following India’s latest move, water resource experts in Pakistan have expressed concern that India could use such reservoirs as a strategic weapon during times of heightened tension, potentially threatening Pakistan’s downstream water security.
