LAHORE - A three-member delegation of Indus Water Commission (IWC), led by Mirza Asif Baig, left for New Delhi on Saturday for the site inspection of 140MW Miyar Hydropower Project at the River Chenab in Indian occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan will also demand the data from India regarding water flow from the River Chenab at Salal and Baglihar during the recent floods.
Miyar Powerhouse is one of the four controversial hydropower projects the neighbouring country is building at the River Chenab.
The suspended dialogues between Indus basin commissions of the two countries started on May 22 when India allowed Pakistan to inspect the sites of all the four dams in Occupied Kashmir.
“India allowed inspection of the four sites by Pakistani experts, but the delegates visiting the neighbouring country could not visit the Miyar site on May 22. The other three sites which were visited were 1,000MW Pakalal Project, 850MW Ratle Hydropower Project and 140MW Lower Kalnai Hydropower Project. Pakistan has already asked India to change the design of the said three projects.
Sources said the Pakistani delegation would at first reach New Delhi and then proceed to Held Kashmir. “The site inspection of 140 megawatt powerhouse would continue from September 21 to September 24,” they added.
It is worth mentioning that India has carved out a plan to generate 32,000MW of electricity on the Pakistani rivers and will have the capacity to regulate the water flows that are destined to reach Pakistan.


So far, India has built Dalhasti Hydropower Project of 330MW and Baglihar of 450MW. It is also constructing 850MW Ratle Hydropower project.
An official of the Water and Power Ministry, seeking anonymity, said the proposed projects by India would drastically impact the flows in the Chenab. “The Chenab irrigates most of the land in the Punjab province which is the food basket of the whole Pakistan. Pakistan Commission of Indus Water in its current shape is no more effective to respond to any initiative taken by India to hurt interests of the country,” said the official. He said the design of the four Indian projects on the Chenab was against the Indus Waters Treaty 1960.