This is the sense of cooperation that should exist between the two countries. They should turn Bhagliar dam project into a similar type as well.
I think Pakistan should convert some of its own dam projects to “run of the river” types to keep Sindh happy.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\04\19\story_19-4-2006_pg1_1
India will re-design Kishanganga Dam
*By Iftikhar Gilani *
NEW DELHI: The Indian Union Cabinet has decided to convert the Kishanganga dam project into a run-of-the-river scheme in the wake of Pakistan’s objection to New Delhi storing 220 million cubic metres of Indus River water in the reservoir to produce electricity.
“The decision was made to end Pakistan’s objections that India cannot store water under Annexure E of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). New Delhi will now propose that this will be a run-of-the-river scheme under Annexure D of the IWT,” Indian Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters.
He added that under the new “configuration” there would be no storage and diversion of Kishanganga (Neelam) river water.
Officially, India has always denied there were storage facilities to be built with the project. But the Indian minister admitted that Kishanganga was a “storage cum hydro electric project”, on Tuesday. He said the “run of the river” project would also generate the same 330 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Sibal said there would be no diversion of water to Wullar Lake and thus it would not affect irrigation in Pakistan. “The issue was a major objection raised earlier by Pakistan during talks,” he said. He said the objection had been addressed adequately by the new configuration.
The project received environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests only last fortnight. The Central Electricity Authority has also granted it techno-economic clearance.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Power Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora recently told the state legislature that work on a diversion tunnel had been taken up and would be completed in 84 months alongside the project.
Unlike Baglihar, the Kishangaga dispute had both legal and technical aspects. Pakistan was contemplating referring it to both a neutral expert as well as to the Court of Arbitration to settle the legal dispute due to the diversion of tributaries of river Jhelum.
According to India’s earlier plans, the Kishanganga project envisaged construction of a 103-metre high dam on the Kishanganga (Neelam) river. Water was supposed to flow through a channel and a 27-km tunnel dug south through the North Kashmir mountain range.