On 24th February, India reportedly completely curtailed the flow of water from the Ravi River into Pakistan following the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage, which is situated on the boundary between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. According to this development, 1150 cusecs of Ravi water is going to be utilized to irrigate more than 32,000 hectares of land in the Jammu and Kashmir districts of Kathua and Samba, rather than spilling into Pakistan.
The irrigation and hybrid power generation project has encountered many difficulties during the last thirty years, based on official sources. The process of pondage at Shahpur commenced barely two days ago, after the conclusion of the barrage work. Nonetheless, Shahpur’s water retention process has already started with the completion of the barrage.
India will now use all of the water from the Ravi River, as stipulated under the Indus Water Treaty. Water that once flowed towards Pakistan from the ancient Lakhanpur dam will now serve purposes in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. After the Shahpur Kandi barrage was successfully completed, the old Lakhanpur dam’s water resources were redirected towards the two northern states, allowing India to make the most of the Ravi River’s water resources.
India has exclusive rights over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers, while Pakistan has authority over the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, as per the 1960 Indus Water Treaty between the two countries. India’s capacity for water management is further enhanced by the treaty’s clauses, which allow it to build storage facilities on the western rivers.
Former Prime Minister late PV Narsimha Rao had laid the foundation stone of the significant Shahpur Kandi Barrage Project in 1995. However, internal disagreements between the governments of J&K and Punjab presented numerous challenges for the project from the outset. The project was put on hold for multiple years before being revived in 2018 after a four and a half-year pause owing to the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh.
The sources revealed, “This multipurpose project worth Rs 3300 crores (Revised cost) would not only provide 1150 cusecs of irrigation water to the J&K and over 5000 cusecs of water to Punjab state, but also generate about 206 MW of electricity besides attracting tourists to the site. Punjab state would be the major beneficiary of the power generated from this project.”
Dr. Jitendra Singh also made a statement in which he asserted that political reasons alone prevented the project from moving forward in Jammu and Kashmir, even though it would have benefited the districts of Samba and Kathua. He recounted, “In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed about Shahpur Kandi project and its benefits. He set up high level committee under the chairmanship of PM’s then Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra. Even former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tried to sabotage the project by raising the demand of Rs 600 crore compensation from Punjab Government.”
He mentioned that the project was awarded national project status, allowing for its prompt completion, and that it was resurrected after 40 years due to the imposition of Governor’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir as a result of PM Modi’s efforts and initiative.
Ajit Kumar, the Executive Engineer at RTIC Kathua, confirmed in a phone conversation that the pondage process has commenced and that water from Ranjeet Sagar Dam is being discharged in a methodical way for the Shahpur Kandi barrage. He noted that the Shahpur Kandi dam will reach its necessary height in ninety days.
In response to a query, he stated that the project’s budget was altered multiple times. The project was originally estimated to have cost Rs 2793 crores, but its current updated cost is Rs 3300 crores. The development of a 206 MW hydropower project is also included in the project cost. The Power House is being built approximately three kilometers from Shahpur Kandi and according to the agreement, Punjab State will be the primary recipient of the electricity produced there, with J&K receiving no share of it.
When asked how much water J&K and Punjab will receive from the Ravi River, the Executive Engineer replied that J&K would receive a maximum of 1150 cusecs, while Punjab state would receive 5000 cusecs. According to him, the Ravi-Tawi canal has a design capacity of 1350 cusecs, and Punjab’s authorities would release water in line with our expected demand.
He added, “We can, however, request a maximum of 1150 cusecs of water. In addition to other regions of Kathua, Rajbagh, Sanji Morh, Mareen, Hiranagar, Rajpura, Samba, Vijaypur, and Ramgarh, and others, roughly 32,000 hectres of land in the Kandi belt of Kathua and Samba, nearly 82 kilometers in length up to Ramgarh sub division would be irrigated. It will be a huge relief for the farmers in this belt.”
He further revealed that work on a 1378-meter stretch of the canal that runs from the Shahpur Kandi barrage to the J&K intake point is still outstanding, approximately a month and a half in duration. He stated that construction is underway on a nearly 20-meter bridge close to the Lakhanpur village of Kulyarh, while head regulators are being expected as part of mechanical work on the J&K side of the canal. He pointed out that the remaining work will be finished in little more than 45 days well in advance of the barrage’s required water level.
In reply to a different question, he replied that it is anticipated that Shahpur Kandi Power House will begin producing energy by the end of the following year based on inputs. He claimed that following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation and designation of the project as a Project of National Importance, real work on the project began in 2018. He highlighted, “Ranjit Sagar Dam which is about 11 kilometres upstream of this project, is already generating over 600 MW of power and 206 MW will be additional benefit from river Ravi with Shahpur Kandi project.”
India has built storage facilities including the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, the Pong and Pandoh Dam on the Beas, and the Thein (Ranjitsagar) on the Ravi as part of a number of water management projects. India is now able to use almost all (95%) of the water from the eastern rivers because to these efforts and other projects like the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project and the Beas-Sutlej link. However, below Madhopur, almost 2 million acre-feet of the Ravi River’s water flowed to Pakistan without being harnessed. India is well-positioned to capitalize on these water resources, promoting agricultural and economic growth in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab, with the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage.
During a rally in 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to make sure that Indian farmers could effectively use the waters of the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers. He underlined that India has a legitimate claim to these waterways and that Pakistan must stop wasting them. To ensure that every drop of water from these rivers reaches Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, a task force was subsequently formed.
