Jammu & Kashmir: ‘Cloudburst’ damages Karnah HEP in Jhelum Basin in May 2025

Google Earth image showing headwork, diversion channel and powerhouse of Karnah HEP

May 29, 2025SANDRP

A ‘cloudburst’ induced deluge and landslide has severely affected the under construction 12 Mw Karnah Hydro Power Project in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district in evening hours of May 27, 2025. The extreme weather event between 04:45 PM to 05:45 PM, flooded the project.

Referring to local sources, this small video report posted on social media platform X states that several works at project site have been affected by the disaster. A bit longer You Tube video report by the News X Live also mentioned that the head work and powerhouse site were inundated.

This text report by the News X reveals that the excessive rains also triggered landslides along nearby hill slopes damaging the approach road to the project. There were no reports of any injury or causality. The vehicles and workers involved in the construction work were stranded after the incident. Access to the project site was blocked by debris. The officials made some attempts to clear the landslide and prevent further flooding of the project. They also tried to restore access and assess the damage to the project.

The reports further share that after the ‘cloudburst’ the Qazi Nag stream overflowed dangerously close to the project’s headworks and powerhouse. The locals were terrified by the sudden flooding. As per a resident it looked like a river coming out of nowhere and everything was turned into a stream of mud and water within minutes.

Interestingly, the same project had faced similar damages in the last week of Feb 2025 hampering its commissioning by about six months. Landslides damaged the roads leading to the project site, while floodwaters caused significant damage to the site reported the Rising Kashmir which also quoted Muhammad Iqbal Qureshi, Project Manager sharing that the landslides caused cracks in the main roads leading to the project and floodwaters, triggered by three days of torrential rain, inundated the site, damaging the HEP infrastructure”.

The report added that the project was scheduled for commissioning by June-July 2025, but the flash flood damages delayed it until the end of 2025. “We had almost completed all major work, and it was ready to be handed over to the J&K Power Development Corp (JKPDCL),” said Qureshi. As per him, though the entire workforce was being used to clear the debris and slush brought in by the floodwaters, the cleanup would take considerable time.

Karnah SHEP: History of Delays & Damages

The Karnah project has a long history of setbacks and delays. In the beginning, it was a 2 Mw small hydroelectric (SHEP) project commissioned in 1991 on Owari Nag near the actual line of control in Haridal village under Karnah tehsil. But the scheme kept facing operational issues between Sept 1992 and July 2010 due to various reasons including damage due to earthquake in 2005, flash flood in 2010. Finally, it was made functional in July 2011.

To enhance the power generation capacity from 2 Mw to 12 Mw (4X3 Mw), the govt planned its upgradation in 2012. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared in 2015 which proposed shifting the powerhouse about 1.5 km downstream in Pingla village near Khudri. Some basic features of the project can be seen here.

In Nov 2017, JKPDCL invited the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) tender and in June 2019, the State Administrative Council (SAC) allowed JKPDC to award the project construction work to M/s Angelique-SAPU Consortium at the quoted cost of Rs 96.967 crore with a completion target in 42 months.

The project was to be funded with a 70:30 debt-equity ratio. While the state government was to raise the debt requirement through its financial institutions, the equity portion was to be funded under Prime Minister’s Development Package-2015 (PMDP-2015). Additional funding requirements were to be met by JKPDCL from its internal sources.

However, as per KNS July 2020 report, the government could not start actual work on the project despite acquiring around 70 kanals of land from the locals at negotiable compensation. Notably, expecting electricity benefits, the local people had protested in favor of the project and demanded its speedy completion. 

The work on SHP projects in J&K including on the Karnah could not be started as the govt – despite written communication – got no fund during the past five years from PMDP 2015 though it had announced Rs 2000 crore outlay for the SHP schemes, mentioned another news report by Greater Kashmir in Feb 2022 adding that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in Sept 2021 had separately released Rs 5 crore for Karnah SHEP.

Interestingly, there is a face book page of 12 MW Karnah HEP JKSPDC has updated photos and videos about the construction works at the project site from 9 Nov 2021 to 13 April 2025.

A post on the page dated 9 Nov 2021 shares a stone plaque photo which mentioned that the foundation stone of the project was laid on 18 July 2020 by Girish Chandra Murmu, Lieutenant Governor (LG), J&K. The photo also showed the project cost as Rs 123.72 cr. However,  another post on the page same day shared an image revealing the project cost as Rs 96.9 cr and completion time as Sept 2022.

However, the page has no information or images on scale of damage the project suffered due to extreme weather in Feb 2025. It’s also not known whether the operational 2 Mw Karnah SHP has also been impacted by the flash flood and cloud burst disasters in Feb & May 2025.

There is only one informative text post on the page dated 10 Nov 2021, a para which reads, “The recurring generation losses supplemented with the cost for restoration works due to frequent damages by natural disasters have necessitated shifting the powerhouse to a safer place.”

A PIB release dated 19 Dec 2023 by Union Power Ministry and MNRE mentioned the estimated cost of the Karnah HEP as Rs 123.60 crore claiming that the project has achieved about 53 % physical and financial progress by Oct 2023. It also shares that the project was awarded in Sept 2019, and was expected for completion by July 2024.

Clearly, the 12 Mw Karnah in Kishan Ganga sub basin has joined the long list of HEP projects facing reoccurring damages, repeated delays and cost escalation in Himalayan states. The flash flood, landslides and cloudburst disasters in Feb and May 2025 have further damaged the project and extended its completion.

This underlines that the government and developers have deliberately been overlooking the natural and climatic disaster potential of the project area and how the project worsens it, since the beginning. Interestingly, the frequent damage was the reason cited behind its upgradation.

Bhim Singh Rawat (bhim.sandrp@gmail.com)