India-Nepal revive talks on Pancheshwar Multipurpose Dam

India and Nepal have decided to get a project conceived 22 years ago moving by preparing a detailed project report (DPR) on the ambitious Pancheshwar multi-purpose dam that can mark a significant milestone in bilateral cooperation that has often been hostage to politics and tricky negotiations.

The two sides have agreed to resume fresh negotiations to resolve critical issues of water sharing and power purchase agreement under the project to try and achieve a breakthrough that has often proved elusive despite potential benefits by way of drought control and flood mitigation besides water ways and hydel power.

Besides generating hydro power to the tune of 4,800 MW, augmenting irrigation potential and controlling floods, the project — a centerpiece of the February, 1996 Mahakali Treaty between the two countries — has potential to address Delhi’s growing water demand through a proposed Sarada-Yamuna interlinking of rivers.

• Both countries agreed to speed up their efforts during the General Body Meeting (GBM) of the Pancheshwar project at Kathmandu, Nepal. The Indian delegation to Nepal for the GBM was led by Union water resources secretary U P Singh.
• Both the countries can jointly undertake execution of the project only after finalisation of the DPR comprising all components of technical works, sharing modalities and financial details.
• Though both India and Nepal had earlier discussed a draft DPR, the two sides have so far not agreed on the quantum of electricity to be sold by Nepal to India, nor on its price.

Expert Views on Mega-Dam Project :-
Some experts remain quite sceptical over its very concept due to what they say are the plan’s inherent weaknesses.

• This project is not viable. It’ll not only be damaging to the environment but also from the seismic point of view, said Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP).
• Thakkar, an engineer from IIT Mumbai, said, We have written to the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the environment ministry, giving scientific evidence of the dangers associated with it. Disaster potential of this project is very high due to possibility of reservoir induced seismicity in the earthquake prone zone.
• Referring to various concerns, including dangers associated with the project, another expert Ashok Swain even noted that the “construction of this mega-dam is not going to be easy as Indian authorities are pretending”.