According to Indian media reports, the water flow of the Ravi River to Pakistan has been halted following the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage which is located on the border of Indian Punjab and the state of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The previously allocated 1150 cusecs of water destined for Pakistan will now benefit the region of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India Today reported.
The report added that the diverted water will benefit 32,000 hectares of land in the Kathua and Samba districts. After facing several challenges over the last three decades, the Shahpur Kandi barrage project is currently nearing completion.
The Indian media reports have claimed that under the Indus Water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, India holds exclusive rights over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers, while Pakistan has control over the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers.
According to the reports, the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage enables India to fully utilize the water of the Ravi River. This means that the water previously flowing toward Pakistan from the old Lakhanpur dam will now be utilized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
India has already constructed numerous storage works, such as the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej, Pong and Pandoh Dam on the Beas, and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on the Ravi. Additionally, projects like the Beas-Sutlej link and the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project have allowed India to utilize nearly its entire share, amounting to 95%, of the waters from the eastern rivers.
As per media accounts, about two million acre-feet of water from the Ravi River remains unused, flowing into Pakistan below Madhopur. However, with the Shahpur Kandi barrage now completed, India has the opportunity to utilize the water resources from the Ravi River to its advantage.
Via: Samaa