CHANDIGARH: The completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage diverts water from the Ravi river to benefit Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and completely halts the flow of water to Pakistan. This project, under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 regulates the use and distribution of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan.
The Shahpurkandi Dam project is located on the Ravi River in Pathankot district, downstream from the existing Ranjit Sagar Dam. The project will provide irrigation to Punjab (5, 000 Hectares ) and Jammu and Kashmir (32, 000 hectares ). The Jammu and Kashmir region will now benefit from the 1150 cusecs of water that was previously allocated to Pakistan.
The completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage allows India to make maximum use of the Ravi river, ensuring that the water previously flowing towards Pakistan will now be utilized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
The under construction power houses are on Hydel Channel, which is downstream from Shahpurkandi Dam. The water released by Ranjit Sagar Dam is to be utilised for generating power for this project. The project will generate electricity of up to 206MW . It is expected that Shahpur Kandi Power House will start generating electricity by the end of next year.
The gross storage of the balancing reservoir is 4.23 trillion cubic meter feet. The water released from the upstream Ranjit Sagar Dam, after generating electricity through the 600 MW power house during peak hours, is stored in the balancing reservoir to supply water to the irrigation canals continuously without any overflow into the downstream river.