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| India, Pak to make final submissions on Baglihar today | | | New Delhi:
Amid indications of a favourable outcome for New Delhi in the dispute over the Baglihar hydro-electric project in J&K, World Bank-appointed neutral expert Raymond Lafitte will meet Indian and Pak officials in Washington to firm up his conclusions with regard to the 450 MW project.
There has been considerable amount of anxiety in Pakistan after reports said Lafitte, the Swiss water expert in his 'draft final determination' had in principle upheld the design of the Rs. 4200 crore project being built by India on the river Chenab with some modifications, including some reduction in its height.
The arguments on Lafitte's draft final determination would end on 9th Novemberafter which he was expected to deliver his verdict by December end.
India has fielded noted lawyer Fali Nariman to defend the design considered to be an engineering feat of sorts as it had to meet a nebulous clause in the 1960 Indus Water Treaty which stipulated that India could only build turn of the river power projects on the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
The riparian rights of the three rivers were granted to Pakistan under the treaty, while India enjoyed rights over Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers. The specification of the run-of-river hydro plant meant that volume of water received in the upstream of the plant during any period of seven consecutive days shall be delivered into the river below the plant during the same period.
For years Pakistan officials have questioned the very right of India to build a project of the size of Baglihar.
It appears that India may have to settle for a reduction of height eventually, which could result in some amount of reduction in power generation capacity.
However, the draft verdict has apparently given green signal to the design, including the slew gates built at the bottom which Pakistan vehemently objects on the ground that it provides India with the ability to store and release waters at will.Pakistan also apprehends that India could release the water in times of war.
India appears to have successfully argued that the slew gates are important for the longevity of the project due to massive silting in the region.
The gates were expected to help de-silting. Before the arbitration began both sides said they would accept the verdict by Lafitte.
Lafitte's verdict is expected to have wider political ramifications. This is the first time perhaps that India, notwithstanding, its reservations on third party mediation on Kashmir, boldly agreed for an international arbitration on an issue involving Pakistan.
A favourable verdict upholding the design could prompt it to take much bolder initiatives to pursue such projects for the power-starved Jammu and Kashmir state.
India could now expect to pursue the Kishenganga and Wullar Barrage projects with less recrimination from Pakistan.
India has already altered the design of the Kishenganga project to make it fit to face any similar arbitration even though Pakistan has rejected that too.
Indian diplomats and engineers say New Delhi would not make the mistake of stopping any of its projects like it did in Wullar Barrage navigation project, which remained stalled despite countless meetings on the issue
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