JK to seek foreign expertise to boost Jhelum’s carrying capacity
Will float global tenders for Dogripora-Wullar flood channel DPR: Jaffer
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to seek foreign expertise on increasing the capacity of river Jhelum by constructing an alternative flood spill channel to save Kashmir from floods, a senior government official said.
The government, he said, has given a green signal to the Irrigation and Flood Control department to float global tenders for making the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the 80-km Dogripora-Wullar channel.
“The Dogripora-Wullar spill channel is vital for managing floods in Kashmir. Preparation of the DPR for it is important. We will soon float global tenders to enable foreign experts to undertake the technical job,” said Chief Engineer Irrigation and Flood Control, Javid Jaffar.
Jhelum has a capacity to carry 25000-30000 cusecs of waters while its flood channel discharge is up to 8,000 cusecs. However, during the floods in September last year, over one lakh cusecs of water passed through Jhelum, submerging habitations on its both sides.
Officials said the Dogripora channel, proposed to be constructed from Awantipora in south Kashmir to Wullarlake in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, can have the capacity to discharge around 55,000 cusecs of waters during floods. After de-siltation, the main Jhelum river can cater to 45,000 cusecs and the spill channel up to 15,000 cusecs.
Following devastating floods in Kashmir last year, the Government of India had accorded sanction to prepare DPR for construction of alternate flood channel of river Jhelum.
“The Central Water Commission has asked us to study effects of construction of the alternate flood channel on hydrology of Wullarlake. It is imperative to ascertain aspects including technical, environmental and implication on the Indus Water Treaty before starting work on the channel,” Jaffar said.
“Preliminary estimates for constructing Dogripora channel is Rs 18,000 crore. Funding will be no problem for this project, but we have do ground work to incorporate minutest details to ascertain feasibility. We have to identity the areas through which the channel will pass and number of structures that will be affected by the project,” Jaffar said.
Considered to be lifeline of Kashmir, Jhelum originates from Verinag in south Kashmir and settles in Wullarlake in north Kashmir before flowing to Pakistan administered Kashmir through Baramulla district.
The river assumes tremendous importance for providing waters for drinking and irrigation purposes and draining the surplus waters to save Kashmir from floods.
