Tulbul Navigation Project: As J&K CM confirms revival efforts, will work finally resume after four decades?

On Tuesday (February 10), Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in the J&K Legislative Assembly that his government is working with the Centre on two projects that were put into abeyance because of objections from Pakistan citing the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). “We are working on two things… first, the Tulbul Navigation Project (TNP) and secondly, lifting of water from the Chenab river near Akhnoor for supply to Jammu city,” Abdullah said. “The efforts are in progress and I hope that work on both these projects will start soon.” From being conceived over four decades ago to the possibility of a fresh start in the near future, the TNP has had an eventful history. We explain. ## Origins of the project Also known as the “Wular Barrage”, the TNP was first conceived in the 1980s, and work on the project began in 1984. However, it was halted after Pakistan’s objections and the eruption of militancy in J&K in 1989. The project aimed to have a uniform flow of water in the Jhelum – one of three rivers in the Kashmir Valley that fall within the ambit of the now suspended IWT – throughout the year to ensure navigation in the water body. The TNP envisaged a lock-and-control structure on the Jhelum at its confluence with the Wular lake in north Kashmir’s Sopore town. The lock-and-control barrage was planned to be 135 metres (m) long and around 12 m wide in the town’s Ningli neighbourhood. A lock-and-control barrage is a hydraulic structure combining a river control dam with a navigation lock, which would maintain upstream water levels while enabling vessels to pass between different water levels. The project aimed to store 30,000 acre-feet of water in the lake during high-discharge periods and utilise it during low-discharge periods to ensure uniform water level in the river. But Pakistan objected citing the IWT, arguing that by controlling the Jhelum’s water flow, India could use it as a “weapon” to cause droughts or floods in Pakistan. Although India resumed work in the late 1980s, the rise of militancy in the Valley saw the TNP become the first target of militants, apparently on Pakistan’s directions. While workers abandoned the project, a large quantity of iron and machinery dumped at the site was looted. For the next three decades, work on the TNP came to a total halt. A conservation project gets derailed In 2010, the J&K government initiated the centrally sponsored Rs 389-crore “Wular Conservation Project” in and around Sopore. Supervised by the state Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the project proposed erecting bunds around the lake and a sluice gate to increase its water holding capacity. Official documents showed that it was aimed at enhancing tourism, growing fodder for the animals, and increasing production of fish and water chestnuts in the lake. However, in January 2012, a group of militants raided the huts of the workers and decamped with the documents and the maps related to the project. In August that year, militants again surfaced in the area and used the site’s earth excavators to damage the under-construction retention walls and sluice gate. They also damaged the workers’ huts and asked them to stop the work. ‘Dangerously provocative’: Mufti On May 15 last year, the Centre suspended the IWT in the aftermath of the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam and the four-day conflict India fought with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. A day later, CM Abdullah publicly questioned if the Centre would now start work on the TNP, and later spoke about it in the Assembly. At that time, former CM and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti had termed Abdullah’s call to revive the project as “deeply unfortunate”. “At a time when both countries have just stepped back from the brink of a full-fledged war – with Jammu and Kashmir bearing the brunt through the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction, and immense suffering – such statements are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative,” Mufti said. “Weaponising something as essential and life-giving as water is not only inhumane but also risks internationalising what should remain a bilateral matter.” Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. Expertise and Experience Two Decades of Frontline Reporting: Bashaarat has spent 20 years documenting the evolution of Kashmir, from high-intensity conflict and political shifts to socio-economic development. Award-Winning Investigative Journalism: He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2012). This honor was bestowed for his reporting on the Pathribal fake encounter, a series of stories that highlighted his ability to handle sensitive human rights and security issues with investigative rigor. Specialized Beats: His authoritative coverage spans: Political Transitions: Tracking the shift from statehood to Union Territory, electoral dynamics, and the pulse of local governance. Security & Conflict: Providing nuanced reporting on counter-insurgency, civil liberties, and the impact of the conflict on the civilian population. Development: Documenting the infrastructure, healthcare, and educational landscape within the Valley. Academic Background: He holds a Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir, providing him with a localized academic and professional foundation that is rare in regional reporting. ... Read More