Punjab does not have a drop of water to share with Haryana: CM Bhagwant Mann
Strongly presenting the case of Punjab before the Government of India on the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday categorically said that the state does not have even a single drop of water to share with Haryana.
“More than 78 per cent of our 150 blocks are in the extreme dark zone due to depletion of groundwater table, so Punjab can’t afford to share its water with any other state,” said the Chief Minister after a meeting with his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar in the presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The Chief Minister said that at the time when this anti-Punjab agreement for the canal was inked, the state was getting 18.56 MAF of water which has now been reduced to 12.63 MAF.
He said that now we don’t have any surplus water to share with any state. Bhagwant Mann said that Haryana is currently getting 14.10 MAF of water from Satluj, Yamuna and other rivulets whereas Punjab is getting only 12.63 MAF.
Batting for changing the nomenclature and proposal of the project, the Chief Minister said that instead of SYL canal, the project should be now conceived as Yamuna Satluj Link. He said that Satluj river has already dried up and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water. Rather, Bhagwant Mann said that water from Ganga and Yamuna should be supplied to Punjab through Satluj river.
He said that despite being smaller in area, Haryana is getting more water than Punjab and ironically it is demanding more water at the cost of Punjab.
The Chief Minister said that the state has a centuries old canal system due to which the district even at the centre of the state falls on the tail end of canal water.
He bemoaned that the Union government has not issued even a single penny for the rejuvenation of the canal system due to which farmers are suffering. Bhagwant Mann said that there are 14 lakh tube wells in the state which are pumping water regularly to fulfill the irrigation needs of the state and make the country self-sufficient in food production.
