Asma Yaqoob
Asma Yaqoob is Research Analyst at the Institute of Regional Studies. Her areas of research are water development and governance in South Asia.
DOI: http://DOI Number
Keywords: IHK, power shortage, topography, resource distribution, NHPC, protests, Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan, Hydropower development
Abstract
For a long time now, Indian-occupied Kashmir (IHK) has suffered from severe electricity shortages. The region’s enormous river systems and streams have a tremendous untapped hydropower potential. The primary organisation responsible for the development, construction, and operation of hydropower plants in IHK is the National Hydropower Corporation (NHPC), which is controlled by the government of India. Two significant changes in the IHK hydropower industry are the focus of this study. The dispute between Srinagar and Delhi over who should own ongoing projects, and the increasing private sector investment in new hydropower stations. More and more often, civil society organisations in the region have taken to the streets to demand that they be allowed to keep the profits from any power projects they help create. The government in Srinagar has demanded that NHPC transfer over a number of development projects to independent power producers due to the company’s poor role in sharing power generation revenues with the local power industry. The paper also addresses the finger-pointing that has ensued between the Indian and Pakistani governments over the Indus Waters Treaty, with India blaming Pakistan for limiting hydropower development in IHK.
First Published
March 25, 2012
How to Cite
Asma Yaqoob, “Energy Crisis in IHK: An Overview of Hydropower Issues Between Delhi and Srinagar,” Regional Studies 30, no.2 (Spring 2012): 61-90, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/energy-crisis-in-ihk-an-overview-of-hydropower-issues-between-delhi-and-srinagar/
Issue
Volume 30, Issue 2