India fully stops Ravi water flow to Pakistan: report

NEW DELHI: The flow of water from Ravi river to Pakistan has been completely halted with the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage, as per media reports cited by Times of India.

Shahpur Kandi barrage is situated on the border of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the report, the Jammu and Kashmir region will now benefit from the 1150 cusecs of water that was previously allocated to Pakistan. The water will be used for irrigation purposes for over 32,000 hectares of land in the Kathua and Samba districts.

The Shahpur Kandi barrage project, which is crucial for irrigation and hydropower generation, has faced numerous challenges over the past three decades. However, it is now nearing completion.

The reports claim that the Indus Water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, India has exclusive rights over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers, while Pakistan has control over the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers. The completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage allows India to make maximum use of the Ravi river, ensuring that the water previously flowing towards Pakistan from the old Lakhanpur dam will now be utilized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, the reports added.

India has already constructed several storage works, including the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, Pong and Pandoh Dam on the Beas, and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on the Ravi. These projects, along with others like the Beas-Sutlej link and the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project, have allowed India to utilize nearly its entire share (95%) of the waters from the eastern rivers.

However, the media reports say, approximately two million acre-feet of water from the Ravi river is still flowing unutilized to Pakistan below Madhopur. With the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage, India can now harness the water resources from the Ravi river for its own benefit, the reports added.