ISLAMABAD: Thanks to the incompetence of Pakistani governments so-called water experts, Pakistan has, for all practical purposes, lost the case against India on the controversial 330MW Kishenganga Hydropower project even before the formal commencement of the legal battle in the court of arbitration as India has already completed 40 percent construction work on the project, reveals the latest monthly report of the project exclusively available with The News.
The report belies the statement of water and power ministrys official before the Senate Committee on Water on Wednesday, in which he had said that India had only completed 23.5 percent work on the project. The monthly report, however, unveils that 29 percent work on the Spillway left bank, 36 percent on the Head Race Tunnel and 48 percent on the Surge Shaft has been completed. If the report is to be believed, the ministry has seriously misguided the Senate Committee. The News repeatedly tried to contact the ministry spokesman but he did not respond.
The report also unveils that three countries the UK, Italy and Germany are supporting India in the construction of the controversial Kishenganga project while Pakistan has failed to garner such support from major countries in its legal battle. The report says that for the execution of the project, M/s Kishenganga Consortium with HCC Ltd, is acting as a lead partner, while M/s Halcow Group Ltd, UK, is a partner and M/s SELI SJZA Italy, M/s BHEL, M/s DSD NOELL Gmbll Germany & M/s PES engineers Pvt. Ltd are subcontractors.
India has already reduced the timeframe to complete the Kishenganga project by 2014 while Pakistan has set a new target to execute the Neelum-Jhelum project by 2016. India is using the advanced Tunnel Boring Machine to complete its project as per the new timeline while Pakistan has even failed to acquire the technology thus far. However, sources claim that Pakistan will be able to get the TBM by January 2012 and make it operational by next June or July to expedite work on the project. But by that time, India will have completed 80% of its project, said an insider.
All members of the Court of Arbitration (CoA) constituted to resolve the dispute over the Kishenganga Hydropower project in the light of the Indus Waters Treaty had earlier visited Pakistan and India from June 15 to assess how much work had been completed on the Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower and Kishenganga projects, top official at the Ministry of Water and Power told The News.
Neelum-Jhelum is a very important project being built by Pakistan on the Neelum River in the AJK, explained a water ministry source. The country that completes the project first will have water priority rights of the Neelum River. If the Court of Arbitration assesses that the N-J project lags behind the Kishenganga project, Pakistan will not only lose water priority rights but also the legal battle with India. On the other hand, if the CoA finds that the Indian project is far behind the N-J project in terms of construction work, India will lose the battle and water priority rights.
Pakistan has already moved the Court of Arbitration in Hague to stop India from constructing the Kishenganga Dam, arguing that India was negating the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 by diverting the water through the 22-km tunnel to generate 330MW of electricity.
Pakistan deposited its memorandum with the CoA at the end of May 2011 and under the procedure, India will get six months to submit its reply. The Kishenganga project is likely to be completed by 2014 whereas the Neelum-Jhelum project is to be completed by 2016. It is feared that by the time the CoA starts hearing the case, India will already have completed 90 percent of the project, top sources confided to The News. It is pertinent to point out that Pakistans team on this critical issue had been led by Kamal Majidullah, the former adviser on water and agriculture, and considered a close friend of the president.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7243&Cat=13&dt=7/7/2011
The report belies the statement of water and power ministrys official before the Senate Committee on Water on Wednesday, in which he had said that India had only completed 23.5 percent work on the project. The monthly report, however, unveils that 29 percent work on the Spillway left bank, 36 percent on the Head Race Tunnel and 48 percent on the Surge Shaft has been completed. If the report is to be believed, the ministry has seriously misguided the Senate Committee. The News repeatedly tried to contact the ministry spokesman but he did not respond.
The report also unveils that three countries the UK, Italy and Germany are supporting India in the construction of the controversial Kishenganga project while Pakistan has failed to garner such support from major countries in its legal battle. The report says that for the execution of the project, M/s Kishenganga Consortium with HCC Ltd, is acting as a lead partner, while M/s Halcow Group Ltd, UK, is a partner and M/s SELI SJZA Italy, M/s BHEL, M/s DSD NOELL Gmbll Germany & M/s PES engineers Pvt. Ltd are subcontractors.
India has already reduced the timeframe to complete the Kishenganga project by 2014 while Pakistan has set a new target to execute the Neelum-Jhelum project by 2016. India is using the advanced Tunnel Boring Machine to complete its project as per the new timeline while Pakistan has even failed to acquire the technology thus far. However, sources claim that Pakistan will be able to get the TBM by January 2012 and make it operational by next June or July to expedite work on the project. But by that time, India will have completed 80% of its project, said an insider.
All members of the Court of Arbitration (CoA) constituted to resolve the dispute over the Kishenganga Hydropower project in the light of the Indus Waters Treaty had earlier visited Pakistan and India from June 15 to assess how much work had been completed on the Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower and Kishenganga projects, top official at the Ministry of Water and Power told The News.
Neelum-Jhelum is a very important project being built by Pakistan on the Neelum River in the AJK, explained a water ministry source. The country that completes the project first will have water priority rights of the Neelum River. If the Court of Arbitration assesses that the N-J project lags behind the Kishenganga project, Pakistan will not only lose water priority rights but also the legal battle with India. On the other hand, if the CoA finds that the Indian project is far behind the N-J project in terms of construction work, India will lose the battle and water priority rights.
Pakistan has already moved the Court of Arbitration in Hague to stop India from constructing the Kishenganga Dam, arguing that India was negating the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 by diverting the water through the 22-km tunnel to generate 330MW of electricity.
Pakistan deposited its memorandum with the CoA at the end of May 2011 and under the procedure, India will get six months to submit its reply. The Kishenganga project is likely to be completed by 2014 whereas the Neelum-Jhelum project is to be completed by 2016. It is feared that by the time the CoA starts hearing the case, India will already have completed 90 percent of the project, top sources confided to The News. It is pertinent to point out that Pakistans team on this critical issue had been led by Kamal Majidullah, the former adviser on water and agriculture, and considered a close friend of the president.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=7243&Cat=13&dt=7/7/2011
