Punjab-Haryana Water Crisis
The water war between Punjab and Haryana has started once again. The governments of both the states have put up a strong barricade. The specialty of this barricade is that in Punjab, the BJP is standing with the Bhagwant Mann government of the state, on the other hand, the Congress and all other parties are standing with the Nayab Singh Saini government of Haryana. There is a round of accusations and counter-allegations from both sides. The need for water increases during the summer season. The Haryana government demanded 8500 cusecs of water. The demand was turned down by the Bhagwant Mann government of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, saying it did not have surplus water. The Punjab government says that Haryana has already taken its quota of water. The Punjab government locked the Bhakra Nangal dam and increased police guard. At present, 4000 cusecs of water is being given to Haryana from Bhakra. Out of this, 800 cusecs of water is given to Rajasthan and 500 cusecs to Delhi. Punjab is the land of Gurus and Pir-Fakirs who have always given the message of human welfare.
It is inhuman to shut off the water of a state during the summer. It has never happened before that any Government has locked down the Nangal Dam Regulatory Centre. When the Arvind Kejriwal government was in power, the party was very soft on the demand of Haryana's water as the AAP was exploring its prospects in the Haryana assembly elections. It is unfortunate that water is now being politicised again, when this issue could have been easily resolved through dialogue. The conflict over water is also for a few days because after the monsoon, there is no shortage of water. Paddy is sown in Punjab till the last week of May. Till then, Punjab needs water. Punjab says it already has water shortage. The groundwater level in the state has gone down to 300 feet. Ranjit Sagar Dam and Pong Dam are also low in water. Haryana, on the other hand, maintains that its water is from Bhakra dam and not from Ranjit Sagar dam and Pong dam. The current water dispute got complicated when a Punjab officer was transferred from the Bhakra Beas Management Board. Water disputes are not new. The controversy began in 1966. After the state of Haryana came into existence, 32 per cent of the water was given to Haryana.
To ensure that part of Haryana reaches Haryana effectively, a mega project known as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal was launched on April 8, 1982, at Kapuri village in Patiala district by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The length of this canal will be 122 km in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. This canal soon became the subject of political controversy. The Shiromani Akali Dal opposed the construction, which led to the 'Kapuri Morcha' protest movement.
In a bid to defuse tensions, then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi signed the historic 1985 agreement with then Akali Dal president Harchand Singh Longowal, promising to set up a tribunal to reassess water distribution. This resulted in the formation of the Eradi Tribunal under the chairmanship of Supreme Court Justice V. Balakrishna Eradi. By 1987, the tribunal had recommended revised shares. It had proposed 5 MAF for Punjab and 3.83 MAF for Haryana. The Akali Dal government in Punjab then led by S S Barnala had completed 90 per cent of the canal work at a cost of Rs 700 crore, but in 1990, Sikh militants killed two senior engineers and 32 labourers working on the canal, bringing the work to a halt. In 1996, the Haryana government again approached the Supreme Court demanding that Punjab complete the construction of the canal. The court ordered the completion of the remaining portion of the canal between January 2002 and June 2004. In 2004, the Centre asked to take up the construction of the canal, but a month later, the Punjab Assembly brought a law to scrap all water-sharing agreements.
In fact, both Punjab and Haryana are facing water scarcity. Climate change is one of the major causes of water scarcity. The Sutlej river, which feeds the Bhakra Dam, has been affected due to changing weather conditions in the last 20 years. The glaciers of Sutlej in Himachal's Kinnaur have shrunk by 10 percent. The average flow of the Sutlej has decreased by 15 percent. Both states grow water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane, while groundwater levels are falling. The rainfall pattern has also changed. The weather cycle is also changing due to the delay in monsoon. Both states have used groundwater extensively, due to which the sources of water are drying up. Dark zones have increased in both states. Today, the time has come to save every drop of water and establish new sources of water and adopt new technologies. Water resources are natural resources and cannot be the property of any one state. Water is a national asset, it should not be politicised. Every state should get water according to its needs, but it is unfortunate that the Bhagwant Mann government of Punjab sees more power in politics on this issue. The government wants to show people how desperate Punjab is to protect its resources, but it is the common people who are suffering the most. It would be better if the Centre and the two states together find a transparent solution. Water belongs to everyone and the way to distribute it should also be in the interest of all.