India exempts disputed hydel projects in IIOJK from environmental scrutiny
Cites risk of hydrological data leak to Pakistan amid IWT suspension
New Delhi: In a move exposing India’s rush to exploit the rivers of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Modi-led Indian government has exempted major hydroelectric projects on the Indus river basin in the territory from comprehensive environmental studies, citing so-called national security and data sensitivity concerns.
According to Kashmir Media Service, India’s Environment Ministry announced that cumulative impact assessments (CIA) and carrying capacity studies (CCS) for the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum river basins will no longer be mandatory. The ministry argued that such basin-wide studies are “administratively impractical and scientifically nonviable as a significant portion of these basins lies outside India” without naming Pakistan.
The decision, observers say, is directly linked to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in the wake of the recent Pakistan-India hostilities. By pushing through hydel projects without broader environmental safeguards, India aims to accelerate its control and exploitation of Indus basin waters, undermining Pakistan’s downstream rights.
The latest approval was granted to the 1,865 MW Sawalkot hydroelectric project in Ramban district, which requires diversion of more than 847 hectares of forest land. The Ministry of Home Affairs reportedly termed the project “strategically important,” warning that basin-wide studies could expose sensitive hydrological data to Pakistan.
Analysts note that India’s justification of “national security” masks its attempts to unilaterally alter the flow of the Indus waters, which could have far-reaching ecological consequences in IIOJK and catastrophic downstream impacts in Pakistan. Environmental experts warn that bypassing cumulative river basin studies may endanger fragile ecosystems, river biodiversity, and local communities dependent on these waters.
While the Environment Ministry has allowed project-specific Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), critics argue that EIAs cannot replace comprehensive basin-wide evaluations that account for river health, ecological flows, and long-term sustainability. The dilution of green safeguards underscores how the Modi regime is weaponising natural resources to tighten its colonial grip over IIOJK while escalating water insecurity in Pakistan.
The latest developments have deepened apprehensions that New Delhi is using the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty not only as a bargaining tool against Islamabad but also as a justification to fast-track controversial hydropower schemes in the occupied territory.
