India and Pakistan is to meet the independent World-Bank (WB) appointed expert adjudicating on the Baglihar Dam dispute this week and the report is stated to favor Pakistan on the height of the Dam and India on the presence and location of sluice gates. An earlier media report, which was severely castigated by Pakistan, speculated that it would in favor of India .
Pakistan opposed the dam which is expected to generated 450 megawatt (MW) of electricity at the cost of Rs. 4,500 crore (USD 978 million) on two counts—the height and the presence and location of the sluice gates. It complains that “free board” (height of the dam above the maximum water line) is too large. As the lower riparian state, it claims that the dam violates the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and fears that India may use the dam as a weapon in times of military crisis. Further, Pakistan fears that India may hold back more water than accorded to it by the water sharing treaty.
India dismisses these objections saying that this is economic project built on the Chenab in Doda is aimed at bringing environmentally clean power to the people of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). It argues that the sluice gates’ presence and location necessary to deal with silt and also protect the structure of the dam and the “free board” height is necessary for safety.
After bilateral discussions broke down, both nations agreed to get an independent arbitrator to adjudicate the matter. Appointed by the WB in 2005, Swiss expert Raymond Lafitte visited the site with a Pakistani official last October, had detailed representations from both sides, and even visited the IIT Roorkee where a working model of the dam is present. Media reports say that while Lafitte will give a patient hearing to both sides in Washington , D.C. this week, he is unlikely to change his draft report that he submitted last month.
While Pakistan dismisses media reports before the final verdict is out as “presumptive” and “speculative,” it has already said that it will “abide” by the verdict (whatever it may be) but India has not. If India does accept the verdict, the reduction of the “free board” will require a redesign which may become very expensive to implement. Furthermore, even discounting the loss of storage by 37.7 million cubic meters, the project may become unviable from a safety standpoint
