Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources Minister Javed Ahmed Rana has said the Shahpur Kandi dam project, located on the Union Territory’s border with Punjab, is expected to be completed by March 31. Once operational, the project is aimed at ensuring that surplus water from the Ravi river is fully utilised within India rather than flowing downstream intoPakistan. The remarks come against the backdrop of heightened tensions following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam last year that killed 25 tourists and a local guide. In response to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced several measures against Islamabad, including the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
Speaking to a television channel, Rana said the project is a priority for the region, particularly for drought-prone areas such as Kathua and Samba. "Yes, excess water (from Ravi river) 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 constructed for the Kandi area," he said.
The Shahpur Kandi barrage, now designated a national project, has seen renewed momentum in recent years after decades of delays linked to funding constraints and inter-state issues between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Cabinet approved its implementation in December 2018, sanctioning central assistance of Rs 485.38 crore for the irrigation component.
Once completed, the project is expected to create irrigation potential for around 5,000 hectares of land in Punjab and over 32,000 hectares in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and Samba districts. It will also help regulate water currently flowing unused from the Ravi through the Madhopur headworks into Pakistan. In addition, Punjab is set to generate about 206 MW of hydropower from the project, while irrigation across nearly 1.18 lakh hectares in the state will be managed more efficiently.
The origins of the project date back several decades. A 1979 agreement between Punjab and the then state of Jammu and Kashmir envisaged the construction of both the Ranjit Sagar (Thein) Dam and the Shahpur Kandi Dam. The Planning Commission approved the project in 2001, and a revised cost estimate was cleared in 2009. However, progress stalled for years due to financial hurdles and disputes between the two states.
Following multiple rounds of discussions involving the Centre, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, a fresh agreement was reached in 2018, reviving the project. Although around 80 km of the Ravi canal and an extensive distribution network in Jammu and Kashmir had already been built earlier, they remained largely unused because the barrage itself was delayed. With construction now nearing completion, officials say the infrastructure will finally be put to use, improving irrigation and water management across the region.
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