India moves to stop Ravi waters to Pak as Shahpur Kandi dam nears finish | India News
JAMMU: India is preparing to stop surplus water flowing from the Ravi to Pakistan when the Shahpur Kandi dam on the Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border becomes operational, marking a long-awaited shift in water use of eastern rivers in the Indus basin.J&K Minister Javed Ahmed Rana said on Monday that the dam is expected to be completed by March 31 and is a priority for drought-prone Kathua and Samba districts. Officials said the project will irrigate about 5,000 hectares in Punjab and over 32,173 hectares across Kathua and Samba in J&K. Central assistance of Rs.485.38 crore was sanctioned for irrigation components.Former Irrigation Minister Taj Mohidin said the dam fell out Indus Water Treaty Because India has monopoly on rabi. Rana added that the suspension of the agreement has accelerated power and dam projects in Jammu and Kashmir.The 1960 treaty divided the waters of the Indus Strait, assigning the eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) to India and the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan. India suspended the deal after the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, a sharp policy shift aimed at pressuring Pakistan against cross-border terrorism.The move stops data sharing and opens the door to greater use of West River water.Part of the Ravi flows unused into Pakistan through Madhopur despite demand in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, Rana said, stressing that the dam would prevent such wastage. Projects like Shahpur Kandi are important for reallocating flows towards domestic irrigation and away from streams.The project was first cleared in November 2001 but was stalled for years due to inter-state disputes. After a series of bilateral and central meetings, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir reached an agreement in September 2018. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the implementation on 6 December that yearBani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh said residents had waited years for the completion. “Once this is done, the water will no longer flow to Pakistan but will be used for irrigation of our own vast areas in Kathua,” he said.
