Ahead of the summer, India is likely to stop the flow of surplus water from the Ravi River to Pakistan once the Shahpur Kandi dam becomes operational, according to Jammu and Kashmir minister Javed Ahmed Rana. The project is aimed at addressing water scarcity in drought-prone regions and improving irrigation, reported NDTV quoting Minister Rana.
“Excess water to Pakistan will be stopped. It has to be stopped. Kathua and Samba districts are drought-hit areas, and this project, which is our priority, is being built for the Kandi region,” the minister said.
With summer coming ahead, Pakistan may face increasing water pressure as India moves to utilise more of the eastern river waters under its control.
The Minister stated that the work on the Shahpur Kandi Dam, located on the border of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, has fastened after India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. The project is now close to completion, the Minister stated.
“Once operational the dam will allow India to divert surplus Ravi water towards Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir instead of letting it flow downstream into Pakistan. The project is expected to be completed by March 31, and the diverted water will be used in the drought-affected districts of Kathua and Samba,” Rana said.
What is the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project
At present, excess water from the Ravi River flows through Madhopur into Pakistan, which is the lower riparian country. The Shahpur Kandi dam aims to redirect this water for use within India.
The project was first planned in 1979 to stop unused Ravi water from flowing into Pakistan. Its foundation stone was laid by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982, but construction stopped due to disputes between the governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. In 2008, it was declared a national project.
The total cost of the dam is Rs 3,394.49 crore. Punjab is contributing about Rs 2,694.02 crore (around 80 per cent), while the remaining Rs 700.45 crore is being funded by the central government.
The dam is 55.5 metres high and includes a 7.7-km-long hydel channel.
Officials said the project will help irrigate nearly 5,000 hectares of land in Punjab and over 32,173 hectares in Kathua and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Citing former irrigation minister Taj Mohideen the report stated that the Indus Waters Treaty does not regulate the dam because India has full rights over the Ravi River.
Why was Indus Waters Cut Off to Pakistan?
On April 23, 2025, a day after 26 civilians were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam, India formally put the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and linked future water cooperation with Pakistan to its stance on terrorism.
The decision came along with Operation Sindoor and marked a change in India's policy towards Pakistan.
Pakistan relies heavily on the Indus river system, with nearly 80–90 per cent of its agriculture dependent on these waters, while its storage capacity covers only about one month of flow.
Under the treaty earlier, Pakistan had rights over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while India had rights over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
With the treaty currently in abeyance, the government has moved forward with several hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, including Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru and Kirthai I and II. Work on the Sawalkote project has also been expedited recently.
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