India is set to stop surplus water from the Ravi River flowing into Pakistan with the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage, a move expected to take effect from April as the project nears completion by March 31.

 

The development comes at a time when Pakistan is already facing reduced water availability following India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. For decades, excess water from the Ravi crossed into Pakistan due to the absence of adequate storage infrastructure on the Indian side.

 

However, Indian officials say this will no longer continue once the barrage becomes operational.

 

The announcement was made by Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) Minister Javed Ahmed Rana, who said the project would be used to irrigate areas in Kathua and Samba districts. “Excess water to Pakistan will be stopped. It has to be stopped,” he told reporters. 

 

Responding to questions about the impact on Pakistan, he said, “Why are you bothered about Pakistan? They are a marginal presence. Let them stew in the problems of their own making.”

 

Indian officials maintain that the Shahpur Kandi barrage falls outside the scope of the Indus Waters Treaty. Under the 1960 agreement, brokered by the World Bank, India was granted full rights over the eastern rivers Ravi, Sutlej and Beas while Pakistan was given rights over the western rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. Despite this, surplus water from the eastern rivers continued to flow into Pakistan for years.

 

India moved to suspend the treaty after the Pahalagam attack last year that killed 25 tourists, following which it fast-tracked hydropower and water storage projects aimed at regulating river flows.

 

The Shahpur Kandi barrage project was first conceived in 1979 alongside the Ranjit Sagar dam. Its foundation stone was laid in 1982 by India’s former prime minister Indira Gandhi, with completion initially planned for 1988.

 

While the Ranjit Sagar Dam was completed in 2001, disputes between Punjab and held Kashmir delayed work on the barrage for decades.

 

Construction resumed after the project was declared national in 2008 and later revived in 2018 following intervention by the government led by Narendra Modi. Officials say the barrage will irrigate over 32,000 hectares once operational.

 

Meanwhile, India has also accelerated hydropower projects on the Chenab River and plans to resume work on the Wular Barrage on Jhelum.