(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- The long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project on Wular Lake is once again under consideration, nearly four decades after it was shelved, as both Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar signaled a renewed push for its revival in the wake of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) being put in abeyance.
Khattar, who was in Srinagar on Thursday, said India no longer needs Pakistan's consent to proceed with water-related projects like Tulbul.“There was a project (Tulbul) under Wular Lake conceived in 1981, but they (Pakistan) never gave consent. Now that the treaty is suspended, we will restart the project. A detailed project report (DPR) will be prepared soon,” the Union Minister said at a press conference marking 11 years of the Modi-led government at the Centre.
He also said India will“definitely” move ahead with new hydro-electric projects in the region, and dismissed Pakistan's objections, warning of a“response on the same pattern” if Islamabad reacts provocatively.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters after a review meeting with Khattar that discussions with the Centre are underway to restart two halted projects, one in Jammu and another in Kashmir.
“After the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, we have two projects that can now move forward. Talks with the Centre are ongoing,” Omar said, referring indirectly to the strategic opportunity created post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack which prompted New Delhi to suspend the IWT.
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Last month, Omar sparked a political row by publicly advocating for the revival of the Tulbul project through a post on X, which drew sharp criticism from PDP president Mehbooba Mufti who termed his remarks“dangerously provocative.”
The Tulbul barrage, originally designed as a 439-ft-long and 40-ft-wide structure with a storage capacity of 0.30 million acre-feet, was meant to regulate water flow in the Jhelum to aid navigation. Work was halted in 1987 under pressure from Pakistan citing treaty violations.
At Thursday's review, Abdullah also assessed progress on centrally sponsored schemes under the Power and Urban Development ministries, portfolios he currently holds. He acknowledged financial strain in the power sector due to concession-based electricity supply but said improvements were underway.
What Is The Tulbul Project?
The Tulbul Project is a decades-old, strategically significant water management initiative located at the mouth of the Wular Lake on the Jhelum River near Sopore in North Kashmir. First conceived in the early 1980s, the project was aimed at constructing a navigation lock-cum-gated control structure-essentially a barrage-to regulate the outflow of water from the lake and maintain navigability in the river during the dry winter months.
Launched in November 1984, the Tulbul Project envisioned building a 439-foot-long and 40-foot-wide barrage with a water storage capacity of 0.30 million acre-feet (MAF). The goal was to stabilise the water level in the Jhelum to ensure year-round navigation between Sopore and Baramulla, especially during winters when water levels drop and parts of the river become non-navigable.
Beyond navigation, the project was also intended to support power generation in downstream hydroelectric projects like Uri-I, Uri-II in India, and even Mangla Dam in Pakistan, by ensuring regulated water flow during lean seasons.
Why Did Pakistan Object?
The project ran into diplomatic trouble when Pakistan raised objections under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960. According to the treaty, while India has control over eastern rivers (Sutlej, Ravi, Beas), Pakistan has exclusive rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), although India is allowed non-consumptive uses like navigation and hydropower, without significant storage.
Pakistan viewed the Tulbul barrage as a potential storage facility with a capacity of 0.3 MAF-exceeding the treaty-permitted limit of 0.01 MAF for incidental storage. India, however, countered that the structure was not for storage but for navigation, and that Wular Lake itself already possesses natural storage capacity. The navigation lock, Indian officials argued, would only regulate outflow to ensure depth for boat movement-well within the treaty's scope.
In response to Pakistan's objections, India suspended work on the project on October 2, 1987, despite having completed foundational work on the left bank.
Since then, the Tulbul Project has been discussed in at least 13 bilateral meetings between Indian and Pakistani officials, including their respective Indus Water Commissioners, but no resolution has been reached.
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