The Central government has cleared eight hydropower projects of 144 MW on the Indus river and its tributaries in Ladakh.
At present, there are several small projects with a collective capacity of 113 MW on Indus in Ladakh, and the new projects will have much more capacity than those constructed so far.
These projects will come up in Kargil and Leh districts of Ladakh. Because of its topography, it is not feasible to construct big hydropower projects in the Ladakh region.
Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shankoo (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) hydropower projects have been cleared for Leh, while Mangdum Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Hunderman (25 MW) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been cleared for Kargil.
Many of the existing projects are as small as one MW of capacity. The construction of the new projects will begin after other mandatory clearances are obtained.
The designs of these projects have been certified as compliant with the Indus Waters Treaty by the Central Water Commission. The information on the design of these projects is being provided to Pakistan as per provisions of the treaty.
The development of projects on the Indus river has been slow, especially in the Ladakh region. Only two major projects have been constructed so far --- Chutak project of 44 MW on Suru, a tributary of the Indus, and Nimoo Bazgo of 45 MW on the Indus.
