Pakistan’s water crisis is deepening amid the Indus Waters Treaty suspension and is not going to end soon.
India is now poised to block excess Ravi River flows upon completing the Shahpur Kandi barrage by March 31, ending years of surplus water reaching Pakistan due to India’s prior storage limitations.
Starting in April, this will sharply reduce inflows, compounding Pakistan’s agricultural and urban water shortages.
J&K Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana announced on Monday that the Shahpur Kandi barrage completion will halt excess Ravi River water flows to Pakistan, prioritizing irrigation for drought-hit Kathua and Samba districts. “Excess water to Pakistan will be stopped. It has to be stopped,” Rana said while talking to reporters.
As summer approaches, Pakistan could face worsening water shortages as India plans to stop releasing surplus water from the Ravi River. The suspension of the #IndusWatersTreaty has allowed faster progress on the Shahpur Kandi dam along the Punjab–Jammu and Kashmir border, with… pic.twitter.com/vulk5Ourcn
— DNA (@dna) February 18, 2026
When asked about Pakistan’s concerns, Javed Ahmed Rana retorted, “Why worry about Pakistan? They are insignificant. Let them face the consequences of their own actions.”
Pakistan’s situation to worsen?
With the completion of the Shahpur Kandi barrage nearing by March 31, India will fully utilise the Ravi River waters previously flowing unused into Pakistan, redirecting them for irrigation in drought-hit Jammu & Kashmir districts like Kathua and Samba.
Reportedly, Pakistan’s economy relies on the Indus basin rivers for 80% of farmland irrigation, supporting 25% of GDP through crops like wheat, rice, and cotton. Ravi’s surplus, previously 1,150 cusecs, cuts will slash downstream flows, reducing canal supplies in Punjab province cities like Lahore, already facing shortages.
Ahead of scorching summers, this squeezes drinking water for urban centers and hydropower, risking blackouts.
Indus Waters Treaty stays in abeyance
India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on April 23, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, explicitly linking water cooperation to Pakistan’s cessation of cross-border terrorism.
While Pakistan and the Permanent Court of Arbitration insist the treaty remains legally binding, rejecting unilateral “abeyance” as unrecognized under international law.
India, on the other hand, has halted Permanent Indus Commission meetings and advanced projects like Shahpur Kandi barrage and Sawalkot hydro on its allocated rivers.
While India’s move does not violate the World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty. Ravi is India’s eastern river, but Islamabad faces “acute risk” of shortages, potential protests, and diplomatic escalation amid bilateral tensions.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty allocates India’s full rights over eastern rivers, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, for unrestricted use, while granting Pakistan control of western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, with limited Indian access.
Historically, India let Ravi surplus flow unused to Pakistan due to incomplete infrastructure like the Shahpur Kandi barrage, but suspension of IWT participation in 2025, citing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, freed India to fully harness these waters without treaty constraints.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
