Hydropower Policy Execution

Jammu and Kashmir holds an identified hydropower potential of 14,635 MW, with the Chenab basin accounting for 11,283 MW and the Jhelum for 3,084 MW. Yet it remains dependent on outside supplies to keep its homes, farms and businesses lit. The review of the Draft J&K Hydropower Policy 2026, chaired by the CM, is therefore an opportunity to look into why abundance has never become self-reliance and to ensure the new policy does better than its predecessors. The figures tell their own story. Only 3,540.15 MW, or 24.18 per cent of the identified potential, has been commissioned through all means. Three-quarters of the resource lies untapped. The electricity J&K receives from central-pool projects is minuscule, inadequate against present demand. Consumption has grown faster than allocations, and the gap is filled by costly purchases from the market.

Each time a mega project is inaugurated, people expect the long-promised end to power shortages. Each time, little changes on the ground. Winter outages persist, transformers overload, and consumers see no relief. Meanwhile, the power bill has climbed steeply year after year. Under construction power projects will increase production from 3,540.15 MW today to 10,969.65 MW but by December 2035, but J&K's share increase will not be substantial.

The CM is right to direct that the new policy learn from the frameworks of 2003 and 2011. Both promised accelerated investment and both fell short of expectations. The causes are familiar: protracted clearances, slow land acquisition, unclear institutional roles, weak project preparation and poor monitoring. A policy that merely restates ambitions without plugging these loopholes will join its predecessors on the shelf. The discussion on streamlining the respective roles of JKPDC and JAKEDA is welcome, since overlapping mandates have too often meant diffused accountability.

Realism must also govern the choice of projects. J&K lacks the financial capacity to build large hydropower stations on its own, so partnerships with Central agencies and credible private developers are unavoidable. Such collaboration must, however, protect the Union Territory's interests. That means fair returns, a meaningful share of free power and a serious review of existing power-sharing arrangements, some of which were framed under completely different circumstances.

The more promising route lies in small hydro projects on the tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum. The Chenab deserves particular emphasis because of its assured, all-weather flow, whereas the Jhelum's discharge fluctuates sharply with the seasons. Small projects require modest investment, can be commissioned far more quickly than mega ventures and leave a lighter ecological footprint, which matters in a fragile Himalayan landscape. Assigning such projects to JAKEDA under the draft policy is sensible, but allocation on paper is not delivery on the ground. Solar and wind deserve the same seriousness. Solar generation is especially suited to the plains and sun-rich areas of the Jammu division, where summer demand peaks. A balanced portfolio, combining run-of-river hydro, solar and other renewables, would cushion the grid against the winter dips in river flow that cripple hydel output.

There is also a larger opportunity. With the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, one of the most persistent constraints on J&K's use of its own rivers has, for now, eased. The Union Territory should use this window to think beyond kilowatts. Stored and managed water can expand irrigated agriculture, strengthen drinking water supply and reduce the stress on communities in both divisions. Multipurpose design must therefore be built into projects from the outset, not added as an afterthought. The Chief Minister's insistence that local drinking water and irrigation needs be safeguarded points in this direction. However, strict adherence to ecological flow requirements and robust Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Plan provisions are essential, and they must be enforced rather than merely recorded.

Ultimately, the test is execution. Officials must produce executable plans backed by proper detailed project reports, defined timelines, transparent tendering and regular independent reviews. Without them, the policy will not move beyond paperwork. Jammu and Kashmir has waited long enough for its rivers to deliver for its people. The draft policy offers a framework, and the review has identified the right questions. What remains is the political will and administrative discipline to answer them, within a firm timetable and with accountability at every stage.