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Pak objects to Nimoo-Bazgo hydropower project on Indus

October 10, 2011 15:58 IST

Emboldened by the international court of justice's interim ruling on the Kishenganga project, Pakistan now plans to take the Nimoo-Bazgo hydropower project being built by India on the Indus river to the world court, according to media reports.

Pakistan wants to raise objections to the project, saying it allegedly violates the Indus waters treaty, the reports said.

But the Pakistani authorities have cleared their objections to the Chutak hydropower project on the same river, claiming that India has "made holes in the wall of the poundage" in line with a request from Islamabad to ensure that the flow water is not stopped.

The decision to approach the ICJ on the Nimoo-Bazgo project was made after Pakistani officials made their first visit to the project site and concluded it was allegedly in "total violation" of the Indus waters treaty of 1960, a senior unnamed member of Pakistan's Indus Waters Commission told the media.

There was no official word on the development and the spokesman of the water and power ministry was not available for comment.

The Pakistani delegation that visited the Nimoo-Bazgo and Chutak projects has submitted its report to the water and power ministry for further action.

The unnamed official claimed India would be able to complete the Nimoo-Bazgo project by July 2012 and thus "suffocate" the water flow in the Indus.

The design of its gated spillways and the depth of the dam allegedly breach the Indus waters treaty. The Pakistani side has raised five objections to the design of the project.

Rezaul H Laskar in Islamabad
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