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UPSC » Daily News Analysis ‘India’s large dams on the Chenab’ : 7 May

Daily News Analysis ‘India’s large dams on the Chenab’ : 7 May

Table of Content

Large Dams in Jammu & Kashmir:

  • As of September 2023, there are 15 large (specified) dams in Jammu & Kashmir listed in the National Register of Large Dams.
  • A large (specified) dam is one:
    • Over 15 metres high, or
    • 10–15 metres high meeting certain criteria (crest length, reservoir capacity, flood discharge, foundation, or design).
  • Four major dams on the Chenab River: Salal, Aalal, Baglihar, and Dul.
    • Chenab is a “Western River” under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), controlled by Pakistan, but India is permitted limited domestic, agricultural, non-consumptive, and hydroelectric use.
    • India can build run-of-the-river hydro projects on the Chenab — like Salal and Baglihar.
Major Projects:
  • Baglihar Dam (Ramban district)
    • 143 metres high, commissioned in 2009.
    • Gross storage: 428.28 MCM; Live storage: 31.11 MCM.
    • Installed capacity: 450 MW (Stage-1).
    • Operated by J&K Power Development Corporation.
  • Salal Dam
    • 81.38 metres high, commissioned in stages between 1987–1995.
    • Gross storage: 284.1 MCM; Live storage: 271.3 MCM.
    • Installed capacity: 690 MW.
    • Managed by NHPC Limited.
Why in News?
  • The Chenab almost ran dry in J&K’s Akhnoor sector after the sluice gates of Salal and Baglihar dams were closed, days after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 with immediate effect.