Ravi Canal bottleneck restricts full Shahpur Kandi water use

Rs 534 cr modernisation plan awaits CWC approval

*400 cusecs being utilised against 1,150 cusecs available

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Sept 27: Full utilisation of the water available to Jammu and Kashmir from the Shahpur Kandi dam will not be possible until the revised Rs 534 crore Detailed Project Report is approved by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and funds are released for the Main Ravi Canal's modernisation and strengthening.

This is because the targeted improvement works carried out under UT Capex Budget have improved only the most vulnerable stretches, enabling the canal to safely carry around 400 cusecs against the available discharge of 1,150 cusecs.

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The supply of water into the Main Ravi Canal from Shahpur Kandi Dam commenced on May 4, 2026, marking an important step towards augmenting water availability in the Ravi canal system.

"However, the deteriorated and vulnerable condition of several reaches of the existing canal and its distribution network has emerged as a major constraint in utilising the available water to the designed capacity", official sources told EXCELSIOR.

At present, only around 400 cusecs is being released into the Main Ravi Canal against the designed/available discharge of 1,150 cusecs, as the existing infrastructure is not considered capable of safely conveying the higher discharge across its entire length.

"The situation has made comprehensive modernisation and strengthening of the Main Ravi Canal and its distribution network critical for deriving the full benefit of water being made available from Shahpur Kandi Dam", sources said, adding "to address the infrastructure bottleneck, the Department of Irrigation and Flood Control has prepared a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) costing Rs 534 crore for improvement and strengthening of the Main Ravi Canal and its distribution network".

The revised DPR was submitted to the Central Water Commission on April 23, 2026 for appraisal and necessary action. The proposed comprehensive works are aimed at making the canal system capable of safely conveying the available water up to the tail reaches and subsequently operating the Main Ravi Canal and its distribution network to the requisite capacity.

"Even approval of the revised DPR by the CWC and subsequent availability of funds may not bring any immediate improvement on the ground, as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has projected nearly two years for completion of the proposed works. The timeline, however, could stretch further, with actual execution and completion largely contingent upon the timely availability and release of the requisite funds", they further said.

Until the DPR is approved and the required funds are released, the department has been undertaking works at critical locations through the UT Capex budget as an interim arrangement. The works executed so far have primarily focused on the most vulnerable stretches of the canal rather than providing comprehensive modernisation of the entire system.

During 2025-26, works amounting to approximately Rs 5.44 crore were executed in the Basantpur-Ujh Barrage reach to facilitate safe conveyance of water. For the current financial year, further works estimated at Rs 17.96 crore have been approved under UT Capex, particularly at vulnerable stretches.

These interventions are intended to provide immediate relief and improve the safety and carrying capacity of critical portions of the network while the department awaits appraisal and approval of the revised DPR and availability of funds for its full implementation.

"The limited nature of these works, however, means that the canal system is still unable to handle the full 1,150-cusec discharge, leaving a substantial gap between the water available from the dam and the quantity that can presently be safely conveyed through the Main Ravi Canal", sources said.

Disclosing that the restricted carrying capacity of the canal is having a direct bearing on water availability particularly in the Ramgarh area, sources said, "water is presently being supplied to the Ramgarh area according to the approved schedule, under which the area receives water for two days a week", adding "the situation is expected to change only with improvement in the carrying capacity of the canal network and the availability of higher discharge for distribution to the tail reaches".

Despite the infrastructure constraints, commissioning of water supply from Shahpur Kandi dam has already improved the overall availability of water in the Ravi canal system. For the first time, Ravi River water from the Main Ravi Canal is reaching the Ujh River, thereby augmenting the supply available to the Main Ravi Canal off taking from the Ujh Barrage.