The much-awaited meeting over Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) between Punjab and Haryana Chief Ministers Bhagwant Mann and Manohar Lal Khattar, respectively, in presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at Jal Shakti Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday yet again remained inconclusive, with Mann stating that Punjab did not have a drop of water to share and the Centre should look at some other alternative.
Even as Khattar said that the SYL canal should be built and the Haryana government will apprise the Supreme Court about Punjab’s reluctant attitude over the issue, Mann proposed in the meeting that he had an alternative solution to the contentious problem – to construct a YSL (Yamuna Sutlej Link) to supply water to Sutlej from Yamuna so that Punjab’s river, which is just a trickle now, could also be revived.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Mann said, “They asked me about the alternative to SYL. I told them that they should have a YSL (Yamuna Sutlej Link) instead. Give water to Sutlej through Yamuna. Give water to Haryana also but save our Sutlej. It is just a trickle now. Sutlej does not have water for a single canal. The water from Ganga and Yamuna should also be given to Punjab and Haryana. We have no issues if water is given to Haryana through YSL.”
He said that the Supreme Court had in its order asked the states to find an amicable solution to the problem or look for an alternative. “I am going with the alternative. Construct a YSL. We cannot allow construction of SYL as we do not have even a drop of water to share,” Mann added.
During the meeting in New Delhi, Wednesday. PTI
He also demanded a fresh tribunal to assess the availability of water stating that Haryana was getting more water despite Punjab having a 60% share vis-a-vis Haryana’s 40%.
Mann said, “The case is in the Supreme Court. We have presented our version. I will say once again that how can we give something that we do not have? Our aquifers have dried up. So are our canals. We have Punj-Aab in name only. Otherwise we do not have water. Haryana is our younger brother. We want the neighbouring state to get water, but it should get it from Yamuna and Ganga. If Yamuna can go to Sharda then why can’t it go to Karnal? Why can’t it go to Rohtak? They are encouraging their farmers to grow paddy on more areas. But to us they are saying – stop growing paddy and give them water. How can this be done? As CM of the state and a representative of 3 crore people, I have put forth the state of affairs.”
The Punjab CM also said, “We do not have water. How can we construct SYL if we do not have water? Punjab had 17.17 MAF (million acre feet) of water from 1921 to 1960 flow series. It was reduced to 13.25 MAF in the 1981 to 2021 flow series. The tribunal that assessed water is 33 years old. The international laws say that the availability of water should be reviewed every 25 years. Out of 12.24 MAF in Sutlej, 8.02 MAF comes in Punjab’s share and 4.33 MAF is going to Haryana. Punjab is not getting a drop from Yamuna, while Haryana is getting 4.65 MAF from Yamuna. Similarly, Punjab is not getting a drop from Sharda, while Haryana is getting 1.62 MAF from it.”
He added, “Out of 159 blocks, 117 of these (78%) are in dark zone. Our aquifers have dried up. Our canal system dates back to pre-Independence era. Even Moga farmers (Moga is considered centre point of the state) say that they are at the tail end. If Moga is at the tail end that means water is not reaching there. The Centre has not given us a single rupee for canals. They keep asking us for water. How can we give water when our canals are all dried up. We should be given funds so that we can run water in them. There are 14 lakh tubewells in the state. We pull out 3,800 litres of water to produce 1 kg of rice. We are not exporting rice to the country but water. We have given our water. Now, when other states have also started growing paddy, FCI tells us to grow something else.”
The CM said that the next hearing is on March 4. By that time the tribunal should check availability of water.
The meeting was called by Shekhawat after a meeting between Mann and Khattar in October remained inconclusive.
