Chandigarh, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday urged the Centre to utilise the waters of the Chenab River to resolve the water-sharing dispute between his state and Haryana and sought the scrapping of the Sutlej Yamuna Hyperlink canal venture.
Mann participated in a gathering referred to as by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil in Delhi over the SYL canal difficulty, through which Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was additionally current.
The Punjab chief minister stated within the final assembly held on July 9, the Union authorities knowledgeable that the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan has been suspended and it opens up a possibility for India to utilise water from the Chenab River, one of many western rivers earlier given to Pakistan beneath the treaty.
An official assertion quoting Mann stated the Centre ought to now divert Chenab’s waters to Indian dams like Ranjit Sagar, Pong, or Bhakra, including that to hold this additional water, new canals and infrastructure could be required, which might be inbuilt Punjab.
Mann stated these canals and infrastructure might be first used to fulfill the wants of the state, and after Punjab’s necessities are met, the water might be provided to Haryana and Rajasthan by means of the identical canal system.
He stated utilizing Chenab water will scale back Punjab’s dependence on groundwater, revive floor irrigation and assist the farming neighborhood, which is the spine of the state’s financial system, in addition to saving groundwater of the state for future generations.
Punjab, which is at present going through groundwater depletion, should be prioritised in any future methods for the utilization, diversion, or allocation of those river waters, he stated.
Mann additionally stated the waters of the western rivers needs to be allotted to Punjab on a precedence foundation, including that new storage dams upstream of current Bhakra and Pong in Himachal Pradesh needs to be constructed, which is able to considerably improve the storage and regulation of western river waters.
Searching for the shelving of the SYL venture, Mann unequivocally stated that the Sharda-Yamuna Hyperlink for switch of surplus Sharda River water to the Yamuna River and diversion of Chenab water to Beas River by means of the Rohtang tunnel needs to be executed to remove the necessity for the SYL canal.
He stated the long-conceived venture of Sharda-Yamuna Hyperlink needs to be taken up on precedence and surplus water be transferred to the Yamuna River at an acceptable location.
Mann stated the extra water out there may offset the stability water requirement of Haryana from the Ravi-Beas system, aside from addressing the ever-growing consuming water requirement of Delhi and the provision of the Yamuna water to Rajasthan.
Batting for the Yamuna-Sutlej Hyperlink canal, he stated that the memorandum of understanding of Might 12, 1994, of allocation of Yamuna waters between Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan is to be reviewed after 2025.
Due to this fact, Punjab needs to be included as a associate state within the allocation of Yamuna waters, and 60 per cent of the excess water of the Yamuna River needs to be thought of for the state, he stated.
Haryana has sufficient scope to get extra water from different sources, which additionally must be accounted for, stated Mann.
He stated that Haryana can also be receiving 2.703 million acre-feet of water from the Ghaggar River, Tangri Nadi, Markanda River, Saraswati Nadi, Chautang-Rakshi, Nai Nalah, Sahibi Nadi, Krishna Dhuan, and Landoha Nalah, which has not been accounted for therefore far when deciding the water allocations between the states.
Mann reiterated that the SYL canal is an “emotive difficulty” for Punjab and its development may set off “severe” legislation and order challenges within the state and escalate right into a nationwide disaster, with neighbouring Haryana and Rajasthan additionally feeling the affect.
The full water requirement of Punjab is 52 MAF, and water out there with the state of Punjab is barely 26.75 MAF , stated Mann.
Speaking to reporters within the nationwide capital after the assembly, Saini stated a major step ahead was made on the continued dialogue over water-sharing between Haryana and Punjab.
The talks have been held in a cordial and cooperative environment. The problem has been beneath dialogue for a very long time, and earlier deliberations held on July 9 had already indicated a constructive shift, he stated.
This time, we’ve got moved a step additional. The discussions have been held in an much more constructive atmosphere, Saini added.
Saini asserted that Haryana will current its case in a “constructive and solution-oriented” method earlier than the Supreme Courtroom on August 13 and expressed confidence {that a} honest and beneficial decision will probably be achieved.
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