Witnessing the hottest days for the first time in decades, the Chenab region in Jammu and Kashmir is suffering due to climate change. On the one hand, the government has also acknowledged that electricity outages are due to changes in weather patterns during the month of March this year. Significantly, Jammu and Kashmir is one of India’s top five states/UTs experiencing heat waves, and the situation in these areas is deteriorating by the day.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department, the early heat waves of 2022, which began on March 11, have affected 15 Indian states and union territories as of April 24. (IMD). Down To Earth analysed this information.
Chenab valley, its resources and looming worry
The Chenab valley is now known as a hub for hydroelectric power projects, but it also has a variety of natural resources such as saffron, sapphire, and others. The Chenab region in Jammu and Kashmir falls into seismic zone four and is prone to earthquakes. Due to various activities like the construction of dams, an expert in 2015 said that these activities have made it more vulnerable, according to Greater Kashmir. The rise of earthquakes in the Chenab valley is seen as possible due to the destruction of natural resources. The 2015 article on Greater Kashmir quoted the notable earth scientist, Prof. G M Bhat, who was then rector of Bhaderwah Campus, and said, “Deforestation and construction of hydropower dams have badly hit the ecology of the Chenab Valley region. The intake capacity of soil to hold water molecules in the Chenab Valley has been gradually decreased due to the construction of high-storage capacity dams for power projects.
People’s fears that climate change will cause floods are confirmed, and they sometimes refer to the Uttrakhand flash floods of 2021, also known as the Chamoli disaster, as the looming worry in Chenab. The rise in dam construction is one of the main factors that worries the people in the region. The Chenab is one of the three western rivers of the transboundary Indus basin, and its waters are allocated to Pakistan by the 1960 India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty, though upstream India can build dams in the basin as long as the water going to Pakistan is not reduced. The Indian government had ensured that the Bursar project would not violate the treaty. While international issues may have been addressed, for people, the environment ministry’s approval signified an attack on the lives and livelihoods of those who live along the Marusudar’s banks, according to The Third Pole. There were various anti-dam protests observed in the Chenab valley, especially in Kishtwar’s Marwah area, alleging that these dams would be the main reason for the destruction of this area.
Despite having the capability to generate more than 11,000 megawatts of electricity from hydroelectric projects, the Chenab region has been suffering from power outages for decades, and now the pan-India electricity crisis has hit the area harder. Notably, the region, despite having a number of hydroelectric projects, is not getting their electricity directly but indirectly through northern grids, and the present issue is with the northern grid, which is facing availability issues amid rising demand in North India.
❤️ Support Independent Journalism
Your contribution keeps our reporting free, fearless, and accessible to everyone.
Or make a one-time donation
Secure via Razorpay • 12 monthly payments • Cancel anytime before next cycle
(We don't allow anyone to copy content. For Copyright or Use of Content related questions, visit here.)
Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times
