The Cabinet on Thursday approved the Shahpurkandi dam project on the Ravi river in Punjab, a move that will help arrest India’s share of water flowing into Pakistan, a statement said.
For this, a central assistance of Rs 485.38 crore — for irrigation component — would be provided over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.
The Indus Waters Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 for sharing of Indus waters. According to the Treaty, India got the full rights for utilisation of waters of the three eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Satluj.
“Some of the water of the Ravi river at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream to Pakistan. Implementation of the project would minimise such wastage of water,” the statement said.
In September, the Punjab and the Jammu and Kashmir governments signed an agreement to resume works on the Rs 2,793-crore Shahpurkandi project.