Omar, Mehbooba lock horns over Tulbul project: How will reviving it help India

In a post on X, Abdullah asked if the temporary suspension of the IWT now cleared the way to resume work on Tulbul project

Amid India-Pakistan tensions and suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti got into a bitter exchange of words over the Tulbul navigation lock project. It is also called the Wular barrage navigation project.

 What did Omar Abdullah say?

In a post on X, Abdullah asked if the temporary suspension of the IWT now cleared the way to resume work on Tulbul project. "The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been 'temporarily suspended', I wonder if we will be able to resume the project," he wrote.

According to him, the barrage would bring multiple benefits, including the advantage of using the Jhelum for navigation.

Why did Mehbooba not agree with Omar?

The PDP chief labelled the CM’s suggestion "deeply unfortunate" and "dangerously provocative".

"J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's call to revive the Tulbul Navigation Project amid ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan is deeply unfortunate," Mufti posted on X.

Mufti also warned against "weaponising water" amid high tensions in the region. "At a time when both countries have just stepped back from the brink of a full-fledged war, with J&K bearing the brunt through the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction and immense suffering, such statements are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative," she said.

What is the Tulbul navigation lock project?

The Tulbul Navigation project aims to rejuvenate the Jhelum-fed Wular lake in Bandipora district. It involves construction of a 439ft long and 40ft wide barrage with a navigation lock at Wullar Lake.

The barrage would have regulated the water of the Wular Lake to maintain a minimum draft of 4.4 ft in the river up to Baramulla during the winter season.

The project can also help in firming up power generation in downstream hydroelectric plants such as the Uri I and II hydro projects in India and Mangla and other hydro projects downstream in Pakistan during the lean season. During lean seasons, when river flows are naturally low, hydroelectric power plants may struggle to maintain consistent power output.

The project was launched in 1987 but was paused in 2007 amid objections from Pakistan.

Why did Pakistan objected to project?

The project was paused in 2007 amid objections from Pakistan as they claimed it violated the Indus Waters Treaty.

According to The Print the then water resources minister Saifuddin Soz told Lok Sabha in August 2006 that Pakistan was objecting because of the perception that the project structure is a barrage with a storage capacity of around 0.3 million acre feet (0.369 billion cubic metre).

“The Indian side has pointed out that the structure is not a storage facility but a navigation facility as defined in the IWT 1960. Further, Wullar Lake gains natural storage and the navigation lock is merely a structure to regulate the outflow from the natural storage to facilitate adequate depth of water for navigation during the winter months from October to February,” Soz said in a written response to a question by Congress’ Badiga Ramakrishna.

Why is the project significant for India?

Experts feel its implementation can be the most immediate step for the benefit of J&K. “It is time for India to finally break ground on the long-stalled Tulbul Navigation Project,” Uttam Sinha, a senior fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, told Times of India.

Kushvinder Vohra, former Central Water Commission chairperson, explained how the project will help in better flood and water management through the Wular lake.

“It shall help in maintaining requisite water depth in the Jhelum below the Wular lake during the lean period so that navigation can be maintained throughout the year,” Vohra  told TOI.

According to Vohra, the project will also have an “incidental benefit” of increase in power production through hydro-electric projects.