45 years after construction began, the Shahpur Kandi barrage is now ready to be commissioned. The barrage is located 11 km south of the Ranjit Sagar Dam and 15 km north of Pathankot. Announced in 1979, its foundation stone was laid in 1982, but the it was held up by a domestic dispute between the states of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Panjab. The barrage, 55.5 meters high, is part of a multi-purpose river valley project that includes two hydel power projects with a total installed capacity of 206 MW. 1,150 cusecs of water will now irrigate 32,000 hectares of land in two districts – Kathua and Samba – in J&K. Another 5,000 hectares of land in Panjab will also benefit. J&K will be able to get 20% of the hydel power generated from the barrage, which will also act as a balancing reservoir for the Ranjit Sagar Dam project whose storage capacity, guided by the power-generation considerations, is wreaking havoc with the Upper Bari Doab Canal System. According to the Indus Water Treaty (1960) between India and Pakistan, signed under the supervision of the World Bank, India has full rights over the waters of rivers Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas, while Pakistan has rights over the waters of Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. India is within its rights to utilize the Ravi waters and is now doing that. Politically, the project serves as propaganda for the BJP in the Hindi belt over India stopping water to Pakistan.
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