Srinagar, Sep 3: What was announced as a one-day shutdown for desilting at the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project has turned into a prolonged outage, with its 450-MW Stage-I remaining non-operational for the 18th day amid heavy accumulation of silt at the gates. The prolonged shutdown has effectively reduced generation at the 900-MW Baglihar project by half, leaving only Stage-II, with a capacity of 450 MW, in operation. Desilting and silt-flushing operations at Baglihar began on August 18. While Stage-II was restored on August 22, Stage-I has remained out of operation because of silt accumulated around its gates, according to officials familiar with the development. The extended outage has also added to the power supply problems in Jammu and Kashmir, contributing to unscheduled power curtailments and forcing the power department to arrange additional electricity from outside J&K. Officials privy to the power management situation said close to 450 MW of additional electricity has to be purchased from outside to compensate for the loss of generation from Baglihar. The shutdown comes at a time when Jammu and Kashmir's summer peak power demand is around 2500 MW. Earlier, during the shutdown of Baglihar and other hydropower projects, the overall deficit had widened significantly, resulting in unscheduled outages across J&K. Sources familiar with the developments at Baglihar said the Stage-I outage became prolonged after complications arose during the silt-flushing operation. According to them, a gate was opened during the flushing exercise, but instead of the operation proceeding smoothly, large quantities of silt accumulated around the gates and the adjoining system, making restoration difficult. The sources attributed the situation to alleged mismanagement in the handling of the desilting exercise and said an operation involving such a critical power project required much more careful planning. “If desilting had to be undertaken, it should have been done in a proper and planned manner. We cannot afford to do this kind of thing,” an official privy to the development said. The official said keeping 450 MW of generation unavailable for such a prolonged period had consequences beyond the project itself, as the shortfall had to be compensated through outside purchases while consumers were facing unscheduled curtailment. “This is 450 MW of generation. Around 400 MW has to be purchased from outside to bridge the gap,” the official said. A senior official associated with the ongoing restoration work said the problem was now technically difficult and potentially hazardous because of the extent of the accumulated silt. “Our gates are five metres high, but the silt is around eight metres high,” the senior official said. This means the accumulated silt has reached around three metres above the height of the gates, considerably complicating the task of clearing it. The official said the accumulation had taken place with the passage of time during the silt-flushing process and that engineers could not attempt to clear it hastily because of the risks involved. “It is a very risky job. We have to take precautions,” the official said. He said the high water level in the Chenab was adding another layer of difficulty to the operation. With the water level remaining high, the teams working on the project have to balance the requirement of removing the accumulated silt with the safety of personnel and equipment, making the restoration process both technically and operationally challenging. The official also clarified that the problem was not restricted to one gate, indicating that the accumulation had affected a wider portion of the flushing system. “Work is going on, but I think it will take more than 15 days,” the official said while explaining the difficulties involved in restoring the affected 450-MW capacity. Baglihar, constructed on the Chenab in Ramban district, has an installed generation capacity of 900 MW divided equally between its two stages. Each stage comprises three 150-MW Francis turbine generating units. Stage-I was commissioned in 2008-09, while Stage-II followed in 2015-16. The project is one of Jammu and Kashmir's major indigenous sources of electricity, making prolonged generation losses particularly significant for the J&K's power management. The shutdown has had a direct impact on Jammu and Kashmir's power availability. The loss of 450 MW from Baglihar, combined with disruptions at other hydropower projects during the desilting period, widened the deficit and contributed to unscheduled electricity cuts. The power department consequently had to explore alternative arrangements and additional purchases to manage demand. For consumers, the situation has translated into power interruptions outside the notified curtailment schedules in several areas, while for the government the replacement of locally generated hydropower with electricity purchased from outside carries an additional financial burden. Meanwhile, a separate issue concerning the quality and shelf life of paint reportedly used in the spiral casing of Stage-II has also been flagged by sources. The spiral casing is an important part of a hydroelectric generating unit. It surrounds the turbine and distributes water around the turbine runner before the water passes through the generating mechanism. Since the component continuously operates in a water environment, protective coatings have an important role in protecting its surface against corrosion and deterioration. Sources said that because of the nature and location of the component, any question regarding the quality or suitability of the protective material used on it warranted a proper technical examination. When contacted regarding reports of an inquiry into the alleged use of expired products, Surakshit Shaan, AEE Maintenance, BHEP Stage-II, said he was not aware of the specific matter. He also said he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue.

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SRINAGAR – Indian government further aggravated border tensions towards suspending its obligations under Indus Waters Treaty by stopping flow of water from the Baglihar dam on the Chenab River to Pakistan. Reports in international media said New Delhi moved to cut water flow from the Kishanganga hydroelectric project on the Jhelum River. Indian authorities initiated […] The post Chenab Water flow cut off to Pakistan by India after suspension of Indus Water Treaty appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.

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A view of Baglihar Dam, also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, on the Chenab river which flows from Indian Kashmir into Pakistan, at Chanderkote in Jammu region May 6, 2025. Stringer | Reuters A year after their last military conflict, tensions between India and Pakistan are rising again, this time over access to water from the Indus River basin.

Baglihar Dam photo by Vinayak.razdan at English Wikipedia Wikipedia: After construction began in 1999, Pakistan objected that the design parameters of the Baglihar project violated the Indus Water …

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YouTube video by Nur Media

YouTube video by Nur Media

The Indus Water Commission has sent a detailed report to the Pakistani government on India’s violations of the Indus Waters Treaty. The report states that India has breached the agreement by constructing three dams—Baglihar (2005), Kishanganga (2010), and Ratle (2016). Sources say India ignored treaty terms and started dam construction under the cover of politics […]