Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Mann expresses his disagreement with the central government’s strategy for resolving the water-sharing dispute with Haryana and instead suggests they utilize the Chenab River to settle the dispute once and for all. He also asked the Centre to refrain from proceeding with the Sutlej-Yamuna Link(SYL) canal project.
Mann voiced his concerns in a meeting called by the Minister of Jal Shakti, C. R. Patil, wherein Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was present.
In a meeting with the Centre, and according to Mann, the Centre at least seemed to imply on July 9 that the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan was on pause. This, Mann argues, allows India to use the Chenab River, which was, for the most part, a western river allocated to Pakistan.
In his meeting, Mann went further and suggested that the water from Chenab be provided to Indian reservoirs such as Ranjit Sagar, Pong, or Bhakra. Mann goes on to say that providing a new canal infrastructural framework in Punjab that would initially satisfy Punjab’s demand and later on, provide the surplus to Haryana and Rajasthan would be enormously beneficial.
Mann claimed that his water management strategy would also curb the state’s overdependence on underground sources of water for irrigation and improve surface irrigation, thereby sustaining the state’s agriculture-driven economy.
Mann contested that Punjab’s critical groundwater problem warranted the province to be prioritized in any new plans for partitioning water resources. He further championed the building of new dams above the existing ones in Bhakra and Pong in Himachal Pradesh to increase water storage and regulation capabilities.
The CM of Punjab was firm in demanding the cancellation of the SYL canal project, and instead proposed to advance the Sharda-Yamuna link project that would bring the surplus Sharda river water to the Yamuna and then, through the Rohtang tunnel, bring Chenab water into the Beas river, thus making the SYL canal redundant.
Mann opined that the Sharda-Yamuna Link may address the water needs of Haryana and Delhi’s ever-rising drinking water needs while also providing water to Rajasthan.
He has been vocal about Punjab’s need to be part of the post-2025 discussion on reviewing the 1994 memorandum on Yamuna water sharing among Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Mann proposed that 60 percent of the surplus Yamuna water be allocated to Punjab.
He highlighted how Haryana gets 2.703 million acre-feet of water from the Ghaggar, Tangri Nadi, and several smaller streams—sources which haven’t yet been considered for water allocation.
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Mann reiterated the need for careful consideration regarding the issue, saying that constructing the SYL canal would pose serious law and order situations in Punjab that could escalate into a national crisis along the borders of Haryana and Rajasthan.
He elaborated that Punjab’s total water needs sit at 52 million acre-feet (MAF), but the state only has access to 26.75 MAF. After the meeting, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini granted a media interview during which he characterized the discussions as positive and constructive.
He mentioned that there had been some advances since the last discussions in July and was optimistic that a fair resolution would be reached before the Supreme Court on August 13.
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