Explained: Why India stopped the flow of Ravi River water to Pakistan

Under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, a portion of the Ravi River water was directed to Pakistan via the Lakhanpur Dam. But the Shahpur Kandi Barrage will allow India complete control over the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers, while Pakistan will still benefit from the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers.

In 1995, former Indian Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao laid the foundation stone of the Shahpur Kandi Barrage project. Due to the disputes between the governments of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, the project was later suspended for over four years.

In 2008, Shahpur Kandi was announced as a national project but still could not begin construction until 2013, reported News18. Following the domestic dispute between the two states, the project was stalled. However, in 2018, the Centre acted as a mediator between the two and resumed work.

Apart from the Shahpur Kandi project, India has implemented several other water management projects to benefit the country. It includes the building of storage facilities like the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River, Pong and Pandoh Dam on the Beas River, and Thein (Ranjitsagar) on the Ravi River.

Meanwhile, water management projects like the Beas-Sutlej link and the Indira Gandhi Nahar project have also contributed India to utilise approximately 95% of the water from eastern rivers.