Punjab slashing Haryana’s Bhakra canal water share triggers political row, Centre likely to mediate

Gurugram: Punjab and Haryana are locked in a simmering dispute over the allocation of water from the Bhakra Canal after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government slashed the state’s daily water supply from 9,500 cusecs to 4,000 cusecs.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has defended his move claiming that Punjab has no surplus water, a statement rejected by Haryana which accuses the Mann government of violating a long-standing water-sharing agreement.

The latest flashpoint in the decades-long water dispute emerged two weeks ago when Punjab reduced Haryana’s water allocation from the Bhakra Canal, a critical lifeline for the state’s irrigation and drinking water needs.

The Haryana-Punjab water dispute traces its roots to the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966, when Haryana was carved out as a separate state. The allocation of river waters, particularly from the Sutlej and Beas rivers, became contentious from that point.

According to the 1981 water-sharing agreement done by Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, facilitated by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Haryana is entitled to a fixed share of water from the Bhakra Canal.

Under the agreement, the net surplus of Ravi Beas waters was estimated at 17.17 million acre-feet (MAF) while Punjab was allotted 4.22 MAF to Punjab, Haryana 3.50 MAF, and Rajasthan 8.60 MAF.

Until recently, Punjab supplied Haryana with 9,500 cusecs daily, but this was abruptly cut to 4,000 cusecs, prompting accusations of unilateral action.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini Wednesday, expressed shock at Punjab’s decision and Mann’s subsequent justification. In a statement to media, Saini said he personally spoke with Mann 26 April and informed that Punjab’s officials were obstructing a BBMB Technical Committee decision from 23 April to release water to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan.

“Mann assured me that he would instruct his officials to ensure compliance by the next morning,” Saini said.

However, when no action was taken by 27 April, and Punjab officials reportedly ignored calls of their Haryana counterparts, Saini wrote a letter to Mann, reiterating the issue.

“Instead of responding to my letter within 48 hours, Mann released a 7-minute-17-second video misleading the public for political gains in Punjab,” Saini alleged, accusing Mann of sidestepping facts to “boost his political image”.

In his video statement, Mann argued that Punjab has no spare water to share, claiming Haryana had already consumed its annual quota two months ago.

Mann stated that Punjab’s water accounting runs from a one-year period beginning 21 May, and Haryana’s allocation had been fully utilized.

He highlighted low water levels in key reservoirs, noting that the Ranjit Sagar Dam is 39 ft lower than last year, and the Pong Dam is down by 24 ft. “We have no extra drop to give.”

“The BJP is pressuring us through the BBMB to give more water to Haryana, but we won’t buckle,” Mann asserted, accusing previous Punjab governments under Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh of mismanaging water allocations.

Mann’s video statement frames the issue as Punjab standing up to BJP’s “dirty tactics.”

The dispute has now blown into a political blame game between the two states that are ruled by rival parties. The Haryana’s BJP government accuses the AAP of deflecting governance failures in Punjab by stoking water nationalism. Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Kumari Selja, and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala have also criticized both states’ BJP governments for failing to secure Haryana’s share despite Supreme Court rulings on related issues like the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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