India Fast-Tracks 4 Chenab Hydropower Projects, Mounts Pressure On Pakistan’s Water Flows

Last Updated:January 06, 2026, 12:46 IST

Officials have been asked to commission the Pakal Dul and Kiru projects by December 2026, complete the Kwar project by March 2028, and accelerate construction on Ratle dam.

Being a lower riparian state, Pakistan is heavily dependent for water on India-controlled rivers—particularly the Jhelum and Chenab flowing through Jammu & Kashmir. (PTI/Representative image)

India’s choke on Pakistan’s water lifeline is no longer a distant strategic idea. It is now taking concrete shape in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a clear signal of intent, the Centre has issued firm directions to fast-track four major hydropower projects on the Chenab river system. Officials have been asked to commission the Pakal Dul and Kiru projects by December 2026, complete the Kwar project by March 2028, and accelerate construction on the strategically sensitive Ratle dam. The push follows a two-day ground inspection by Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who reviewed progress on multiple dam sites in Jammu and Kashmir, underlining that deadlines will now be strictly enforced.

At stake is far more than electricity generation. The Chenab is part of the Indus basin — Pakistan’s lifeline. Nearly three-fourth of Pakistan’s water originates from the western rivers that flow from India into Pakistan. Over 90 per cent of Pakistan’s agriculture depends on this basin, and almost the entire network of its dams and canals is built around it. In effect, nine out of ten Pakistanis rely on water that first flows through Indian territory. That reality explains why every move on the Chenab is watched so closely across the border.

The most consequential of the projects is the Pakal Dul hydropower project in Kishtwar. At 1,000 MW, it is the largest project in the Chenab basin and, at 167 metres, the highest dam in India. Crucially, it is India’s first storage project on a western river that flows into Pakistan. Built on a tributary of the Chenab, the project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2018. With the Indus Waters Treaty effectively in abeyance, the Centre has now ordered that Pakal Dul be commissioned by December 2026. Once operational, it will give India the ability not just to generate power, but to regulate the timing of water flows — a capability Pakistan has long viewed with concern.

Running parallel is the Kiru project, also located in Kishtwar district. The Kiru dam, rising 135 metres on the Chenab, is a run-of-the-river project, but its strategic value lies in how it fits into a chain of projects upstream and downstream. The Centre has set the same December 2026 deadline for Kiru, making it clear that both projects are expected to come online together.

The third pillar of this push is the Kwar project, another run-of-the-river dam on the Chenab with a height of 109 metres. A major engineering milestone was achieved in January 2024 when the Chenab was successfully diverted to enable construction. That diversion was closely tracked in Pakistan. The Centre has now directed that Kwar be commissioned by March 2028, locking in a firm timeline.

Then there is the Ratle project, perhaps the most contentious of them all. The 850 MW project involves a 133-metre-high dam on the Chenab and has been opposed by Pakistan for years, particularly over the design of its spillways. During his recent visit, the Power Minister laid the foundation stone for the dam’s concreting works, signalling that Ratle is now being fast-tracked. The Chenab was diverted through tunnels for this project in 2024, and the dam is expected to be ready by 2028.

Beyond these headline projects, India is also moving ahead with Dulhasti Stage-2 on the Chenab. The project received clearance from the Environment Ministry’s panel last December and will come up after Dulhasti-I, which is already operational. Pakistan has recently objected to this clearance as well, arguing it was not informed — an objection India has rejected.

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