SRINAGAR (Kashmir English): India’s Modi regime has announced plans to identify sites across Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for new hydropower projects, raising serious concerns about its intent to divert water from the region in a manner that threatens downstream flows into Pakistan.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian Power Minister Khattar, in an interview with the Times of India, revealed that the Modi government is reviewing ways to channel water from the territory to northern Indian states, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.
The minister said some hydropower stations are already operational, while work is ongoing to restore reservoir capacity, and stalled projects are being revived.
Khattar also confirmed that the government is studying the feasibility of diverting water via canals or tunnels, with two to three potential routes under consideration.
One proposed alignment passing through the city of Jammu has been deemed impractical, while an alternative route bypassing the city is being assessed for technical and financial viability.
India controlling water flow from Kashmir
Experts warn that such measures, framed as power generation projects, could be part of India’s long-standing strategy to control water flow from Kashmir into Pakistan, undermining water security for millions in the Indus Basin.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of India’s earlier unilateral breach of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which guaranteed regulated flows of rivers to Pakistan.
While Khattar emphasized storage solutions to ensure continuous supply, critics argue that the primary objective appears to be strategic control over water resources rather than addressing energy deficits.
Analysts say such moves, coming after India’s unilateral revocation of the Indus Waters Treaty, are not in the interest of regional peace or stability.
