No flood danger due to Tawi barrage construction: report to NGT

The construction of the Tawi Barrage, located on the Tawi River in Jammu, will not lead to any flood risks, according to a report submitted by the Jal Shakti (Irrigation and Flood Control) Department of Jammu to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on January 6, 2025. The report asserts that the construction is fully compliant with all relevant government orders, guidelines, and regulations.

The report highlights that the hydraulic studies, design, and drawings of the Tawi Barrage have been rigorously reviewed by experts from IIT Roorkee, ensuring the safety and structural stability of the project. The Tawi Barrage, conceived in 2010, is a gated structure to be constructed across two channels of the Tawi River — Nikki Tawi and Waddi Tawi — located near Belicharana, about one kilometer downstream from the main Tawi Bridge at Bikram Chowk.

As part of the project, a pond with a capacity of 1.35 million cubic meters (MCM) is to be created, and the pond level will be maintained at 297.8 meters. The report assures that there will be no water stagnation downstream of the barrage, thereby preventing any adverse ecological effects on the river.

The design of the barrage incorporates a waterway capable of handling a 1 in 500-year flood return period, far exceeding the flood flow experienced during the 2014 floods in the region. The department’s report specifically refutes any concerns about the potential for flooding due to the barrage's construction.

This report was prepared following an NGT order on September 18, 2024. The ongoing NGT hearing was triggered by an earlier news report published on May 11, 2024, titled "Tawi Barrage and River Front Projects in Jammu Are Destroying the River and Inviting Disaster." The concerns raised in the report have been addressed in the ongoing proceedings.

The authorities maintain that the Tawi Barrage project is being executed with the utmost consideration for safety and environmental sustainability, dismissing any fears of flooding in the area.

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