File photo of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday refused the release of more water to Haryana, stating that the neighbouring state has already utilised 103 per cent of its allocated share.
Mann also accused the BJP of exerting pressure on the Punjab government through the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to meet Haryana's demand.
He further asked the Centre to fill up Punjab's reservoirs by diverting the water flowing to Pakistan, now that the Indus Water Treaty stands suspended.
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are partnering states who meet their water requirements from Bhakra and Pong dams managed by the BBMB. The BBMB decides the annual quota of water to be released to the three states from May 21 every year.
The fresh row is being triggered even as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue has already been brewing between the two states for the past several years.
Mann said Haryana has exhausted its share of water in March and is now seeking additional water for April and May. He said Punjab needs water for the upcoming paddy sowing season and there is not a single surplus drop to spare.
Mann said the BBMB has allocated 2.987 MAF (million acre feet) water to Haryana for utilisation by May 21, 2025 and the state has already used 103 per cent of it. Punjab was allocated 5.512 MAF but has utilised only 89 per cent so far.
He said Haryana had demanded 4,000 cusecs for drinking and other purposes in April, which Punjab agreed to. However, it is seeking 8,500 cusecs of water again, which Punjab refuses to release.
The chief minister said, "We told them that they should have used their share of water judiciously. How could we give more water? We have a paddy sowing season coming up. There is already demand for canal water (from farmers)".
Accusing the Union government of making "yet another dirty move" eyeing Punjab's waters, Mann said, "We will not let it succeed at any cost."
In a video posted on X, he said, "The BJP is pressuring us through BBMB to give more water to Haryana. I want to make it clear that we do not have a single drop of surplus water. We are utilising our share for our purposes. Haryana was given its share, which it has already used up two months ago. However, we are still giving 4,000 cusecs of water for drinking purposes on humanitarian grounds." Referring to the suspension of Indus Water Treaty, Mann said the BJP is claiming that it will not allow water flow to Pakistan. "Then you give that water to us, fill our dams and we will give it to Haryana," he said.
On April 23, the Centre announced that the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Islamabad credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
The move came a day after terrorists killed 26 people in south Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Mann said water levels in Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams were less by 39 feet and 24 feet respectively, as compared to the water levels in the corresponding period a year ago.
Most of the blocks in the state are overexploited and the groundwater situation is grim, he said, adding that as most of the river resources have dried up, the state needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs.
He said the Punjab government has set the canal water system right and hence is able to utilise it.
"You (Haryana) have several other resources, take water from there. We will not let Punjab farmers face water problems. Water is our necessity. We have to give 185 lakh metric tonnes of paddy under the public distribution system," Mann said.
The chief minister said his predecessors used to extend such largesses to appease their "mentors" in the BJP but as the custodian of the state's water, he will never allow this.