CHANDIGARH: Amid the ongoing slugfest over Bhakra water share between Haryana and Punjab Chief Ministers the union government has called an urgent meeting in Delhi to defuse the escalating water-sharing dispute.
It is learnt that the union government has called the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh for a meeting in Delhi on Friday to resolve the issue over the Bhakra Beas Management Board’s (BBMB) directive to release an additional 8,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra Dam to Haryana. Sources said that the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan will chair the meeting, attended by the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
With Punjab’s Chief Secretary is on leave, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Alok Shekhar, accompanied by Principal Secretary (Water Resources) Krishan Kumar, is likely to represent the state. The meeting aims to address Punjab’s refusal to comply with the BBMB’s order, which was issued despite Punjab’s dissent, citing its own water scarcity amid the rabi sowing season.
The meeting was necessitated after the decision to release 8500 cusecs water was opposed by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, has led to a heated exchange of statements between leaders of both states raising fears of a deepening interstate conflict.
Tensions flared in the pas couple of days as Punjab accused Haryana of overusing its allocated 2.987 million acre-feet (MAF) of water—reportedly at 104% of its share, claiming that Punjab was struggling with low dam levels.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called the BBMB’s decision “arbitrary” and a “robbery” of Punjab’s rights, announcing statewide protests by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a special Vidhan Sabha session on May 5. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini countered, accusing Punjab Chief Minister of “dirty politics” and emphasizing the need for water to meet drinking demands, warning that excess water could flow to Pakistan due to the suspended Indus Waters Treaty.
This water sharing dispute between two neighboring and leading agrarian states of the country rooted in decades-old disagreements over the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal and the 1981 water-sharing agreement, has seen Punjab cap Haryana’s supply at 4000 cusecs, against the BBMB’s mandated 8500 cusecs as Punjab claimed that haryana has already exhausted its share of annual allotment before the annual deadline of May 21. With the BJP-ruled Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi backing the release, and Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh staying neutral Punjab finds itself isolated, the outcome of the meeting holds significance for thousands who depend on this water source.