Pakistan water shortage: Summer’s right around the corner, and honestly, things aren’t looking good for Pakistan. The country already struggles with water shortages, but now it’s about to get worse. India plans to cut off the extra water it usually lets flow from the Ravi River into Pakistan.
Pakistan’s water problems started piling up last year after the Indus Waters Treaty was suspended because of the Pahalgam terror attack. Now, with India’s new move, the situation is going from bad to worse.
So, what’s actually happening? How’s this going to hit Pakistan? Let’s break it down.
The Shahpur Kandi Dam on the Ravi River in Punjab, India, is nearing completion and is expected to be operational by 1st September 2024. This vital national project being executed by the Punjab Irrigation Department will significantly enhance electricity generation and irrigation… pic.twitter.com/T5THIRNV4h
— KBS Sidhu, ex-IAS 🇮🇳 (@kbssidhu1961) June 24, 2024
The Shahpur Kandi Dam
It’s been almost 30 years since they first laid the foundation stone for the Shahpur Kandi barrage. This dam sits right where Punjab meets Jammu and Kashmir, on the Ravi River, and after decades of delays, it’s finally almost finished.
Building this dam isn’t cheap—it’s costing Rs 3,394.49 crore. Punjab is putting in most of the money, about Rs 2,694.02 crore, and the rest comes from India’s central government. The structure itself stands 55.5 meters high and includes a 7.7 km-long hydel channel.
On February 16, Jammu-Kashmir minister Javed Ahmed Rana announced that the dam should be done by March 31. After that, any leftover water from the Ravi River will stop flowing into Pakistan.
Once the dam is finished, India stands to gain a lot. Punjab officials say it will bring water to an extra 91,856 acres of farmland, mostly by expanding irrigation in Rajasthan’s Upper Bari River area.
Reports say Punjab will get 12,355 acres of new farmland, while Jammu and Kashmir gain 79,501 acres. Plus, the dam will add 206 megawatts of electricity to India’s power grid.
And it’s not just about farming and power. The Shahpur Kandi dam is also expected to give a serious boost to water sports across northern India.
Effects of Shahpur Kandi Dam on Pakistan
The Shahpur Kandi dam will be of great effect to Pakistan. This is so because up until now, excessive waters of the Ravi pass idle into Pakistan via Madhopur. On the same, Rana observed that the dam would check such wastage.
As reported, Lahore, which is one of the major cities in Pakistan, is largely reliant on the water in the river Ravi. Lahore relies on the river as an inlet to its groundwater. Besides, Lahore-based projects like Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) that aims at revitalising the Ravi and promoting urbanisation in its banks may be undermined.
According to report by South Asian Voices, an online policy platform of strategic analysis on South Asia, in case India cuts off all water in Ravi to flow in Pakistan, Lahore would face the same situation as in Cape Town in South Africa where shortage of water requires long queues to get access to potable water.
India strangles the water supply of Pakistan
This news of the Shahpur Kandi dam is uttered as India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan last year after the Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 people were killed.
It was a big setback to Pakistan since close to 80-90 per cent of the agriculture in Pakistan relies on this Indus River system. Pakistan embraces agriculture because it contributes 25 per cent of the GDP of the country. Also, other large cities like Lahore, Multan, and many others are also largely dependent on the Indus system as sources of urban water supply.
