Shahpur Kandi Dam Set to Operationalize — Ravi River Water Diversion Imminent

India's Shahpur Kandi Dam on the Punjab-J&K border — expected operational by March 31, 2026 — will divert Ravi River waters currently flowing into Pakistan to irrigate 37,000+ hectares in India. J&K Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana confirmed the deadline. The dam is part of India's strategy to maximize use of the Indus basin rivers following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty in April 2025. Experts describe it as 'part of a broader strategy to increase costs on Pakistan.' Pakistan had previously stated that any interruption of water flows 'would be considered acts of war.' Pakistan referred the IWT suspension to the Permanent Court of Arbitration; India formally rejected the tribunal's jurisdiction in February 2026.