India has approved the Dulhasti Stage II hydropower project on the Chenab River in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in what is being described as an open violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.

New Delhi has given final approval to the project, a move that has raised serious concerns in Pakistan. The project will be constructed in Jammu and Kashmir under India’s illegal occupation and is expected to generate up to 260 megawatts of electricity.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 327.745 billion Indian rupees, and construction work is likely to begin at the start of next year. The project will be developed by India’s state-owned company, NHPC Limited.

Experts say that the Dulhasti Stage II project could prove harmful to Pakistan from a defensive and strategic perspective, as the Chenab River is one of the rivers allocated to Pakistan. The construction of this project goes against the spirit of the Indus Waters Treaty, which India recently announced it was unilaterally suspending.

In the Dulhasti Stage II project, the existing infrastructure of Dulhasti Stage I will be used. The 390-megawatt Dulhasti Stage I project was completed in 2007 and operates under a run-of-the-river scheme. In the new phase, the same dam, reservoir, and power intake will be utilized.