Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana are again at loggerheads as Punjab has reduced the share of water the latter gets from the Bhakra canal.
Sources said that Haryana was getting 9,500 cusecs of water daily from the canal earlier, which has been reduced to 4000 cusecs.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said: “The Haryana government has already used all the water of its quota 2 months ago. If the BJP (the ruling party in Haryana and at the Centre) needs it, then it should divert the water to Punjab that has been stopped from going to Pakistan.”
The Haryana government has strongly objected to the decision of the Punjab government.
There was a water agreement between the Punjab and Haryana governments in 1981. Under which, Punjab gives water to Haryana and Rajasthan from Bhakra canal. Till now, Punjab was giving 9,500 cusecs of water to Haryana daily, which has been reduced to 4000 cusecs 15 days ago. This reduction will affect drinking water and irrigation facilities in Haryana. There may be a water crisis in 5 districts of the state. These include Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Rohtak and Mahendragarh.
Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini has spoken to Mann in this regard. However, nothing concrete has emerged so far.
Mann accused the BJP of playing another trick with Punjab, which “we will not let succeed”. “BJP is forcibly pressurising to give more water to Haryana through Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)…Haryana has used all the water of its share,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saini said he had communicated in a letter to the Punjab CM that if a timely regular release of water is not made from dams, a large quantity of water will have to be released by the BBMB in the rivers of the Indus system during the rainy season as a compulsion. This would mean the flow of water to Pakistan, which, given the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty by India, must not be allowed to happen.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini described the statement made by Mann regarding water distribution as surprising. He said that on April 26, he had spoken to Mann on the phone that the Punjab officials are showing reluctance in implementing the decision taken by the BBMB Technical Committee on April 23 to release water to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. The Punjab CM had “assured me that he would immediately instruct his officials and ensure their implementation by the next morning”.