Latest news with #Yamuna-SatlujLink
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Even JCBs Draw More Crowd in India': Punjab CM Mocks PM Modi's Foreign Trips To Small Nations
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann ridicules PM Modi's global honours and simultaneously shakes up India's inter-state water politics. Days after the Prime Minister received Ghana's highest civilian award, Mann taunted his globe-trotting diplomacy saying, '10,000 people live in those countries. In India, that many people will gather to watch a JCB in action.' But the real bombshell came when he proposed replacing the decades-old SYL canal fight with a new Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) canal from Kashmir that could bring a staggering 23 MAF water to Punjab, a quantum leap from the current dispute over just 1-2 MAF. Amid Punjab's groundwater crisis, Mann urged the Centre to utilize the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan to divert water from rivers like Chenab, Ravi, and Jhelum into Punjab.#bhagwantmann #narendramodi #induswatertreaty #sylcanal #punjabpolitics #watercrisis #ghanaaward #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"Indus Water Pact Suspension Must Be Utilised": Punjab Amid Water Row With Haryana
The opportunity of the Indus Water Treaty Suspension must be duly utilised to fulfil the water needs of Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said, as he held a meeting with his Haryana counterpart Nayab Saini to resolve the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) dispute. The recent decision by the Centre to suspend the Indus Water Treaty opens up the possibility of greater utilisation of water from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) within Indian territory, Mr Mann said, referring to the suspension of the pact with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Punjab, which is currently facing groundwater depletion, must be prioritised in any future strategies for the usage, diversion, or allocation of river waters, he added. The Chief Minister mooted the idea of Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) canal instead of Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project. "Haryana and Punjab are brothers. Now this fight should end. There has always been politics over the matter. Both the states have been fighting for 2 MF water, but if the canal comes from Kashmir, we will get 23 MF water," he said. The controversial 1981 water-sharing agreement came into being after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966. For effective allocation of water, SYL canal link was conceptualised. A stretch of 214 km SYL was set to be built, of which 122 km were to be in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. In 2004, the then Congress government of the state came out with the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act with an intention to terminate the 1981 agreement and all other pacts relating to sharing of waters of rivers Ravi and Beas. The Supreme Court had first decreed the suit of Haryana in 2002 asking Punjab to honour its commitments with regard to water sharing in the case. Punjab challenged the verdict by filing a suit which was rejected in 2004 by the Supreme Court. During the meeting that was convened by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Mr Mann reiterated that Punjab has no spare water to share with any other state and there was no question of sharing even a single drop of water with anyone. Most of the state's blocks are overexploited, and the groundwater situation in the state is dire, he said. The Chief Minister said the SYL canal is an 'emotive issue' and that Punjab will face serious law and order problems, which will escalate into a national issue, with Haryana and Rajasthan also being affected. He and Mr Saini, however, express confidence that the dispute will be resolved soon. The next meeting is scheduled to be held on August 5. Mr Saini said a meaningful discussion took place in a cordial atmosphere in the meeting. He said Mr Mann acknowledged that this issue should be resolved, as it has remained pending for far too long. Mr Saini also said that Punjab and Haryana are like brothers, and even today, they share a common space with mutual respect and harmony. Discussions in the next meeting are expected to lead to a better solution and yield positive results, he said. The meeting was also attended by Union Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, Additional Chief Secretary of Irrigation and Water Resources Department Anurag Aggarwal, along with several senior officials from the Irrigation Department. Meanwhile, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre should now move ahead from such meetings. "The (top) court had handed over the responsibility of getting Haryana's share of water to the central government. The BJP is in power both in Haryana and at the Centre. In such a situation, Haryana should have got its share of water by now. But due to BJP's anti-Haryana attitude, this could not happen. Now, if the government is talking about it, then it should directly file a contempt of court case," he said. Indian National Lok Dal MLA Rania Arjun Chautala accused Mr Mann of doing politics over the issue. "Water is a natural resource over which the entire country has rights, not just of a state. SYL is the lifeline of Haryana. Haryana's right. Haryana should get water. The central government should resolve the water sharing issue," he said.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Punjab CM moots idea of YSL canal instead of Satluj-Yamuna Link project for amicable resolution
New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Stressing that Punjab needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs, as most of the state's river resources have dried up, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday sought a share for the state in Indus waters and mooted the idea of Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) canal instead of Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project. Mann said that the situation was so dire that Punjab had only scant water, which it was providing to food growers, adding that in such a scenario, there was no question of sharing even a drop of water with any other state. Participating in a meeting held here at Shram Shakti Bhawan, the Punjab CM reiterated that the state has no spare water to share with any other state and there was no question of sharing even a single drop of water with anyone. According to a release, he stated that Punjab has no surplus water to share with any other state and that a reassessment of water availability in the state is required in accordance with international norms. Mann stated that most of the state's blocks are overexploited, and the groundwater situation in the state is dire. Meanwhile, he again proposed that the Indus Waters Treaty should be reconsidered, and efforts should be made to bring water from the Western Rivers to India to meet the growing water demand. The Chief Minister said that the opportunity of the Indus Water Treaty Suspension must be duly utilised to fulfil the water needs of the state. He said that the recent decision by the Government of India to suspend the Indus Water Treaty opens up the possibility of greater utilisation of water from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) within Indian territory. Mann said that Punjab, which is currently facing groundwater depletion, must be prioritised in any future strategies for the usage, diversion, or allocation of river waters. The Chief Minister stated that the waters of the western rivers should be allocated to Punjab on a priority basis, and new storage dams should be constructed upstream of the existing Bhakra and Pong Dams in Himachal Pradesh. He said that this will significantly enhance the storage and regulation of western river waters. Mann said that it is the need of the hour so that Punjab, which has overexploited its only available natural resources in terms of water and fertile land, is duly compensated, thereby making the country self-reliant in food production. The Chief Minister stated that the long-conceived Sharda-Yamuna Link project needs to be taken up as a priority, and surplus water be transferred to the River Yamuna at a suitable location. He said that the additional water available could offset the balance water requirement of Haryana from the Ravi-Beas system, apart from addressing the ever-growing drinking water requirement of the capital city of Delhi and the availability of the Yamuna water to the state of Rajasthan. CM Mann said that under the aforesaid eventuality, again, the issue of the construction of the SYL canal could be shelved and put to rest forever. The Chief Minister stated that to cater to Haryana's demands, the Sharda-Yamuna link should be constructed to transfer surplus Sharda water to the Yamuna River, and Chenab water can be diverted to the River Beas through the Rohtang tunnel, thereby eliminating the need for the SYL canal. He said that proceedings with respect to the SYL matter of 1996 may be kept in abeyance till the decision of the Ravi-Beas tribunal is awarded. Mann said that the MoU of May 12, 1994, on the allocation of Yamuna waters between Delhi, UP, HP and Rajasthan is going to be reviewed after 2025. Mann demanded that Punjab be included as a partner state in Yamuna water allocations, and that 60 per cent of the surplus Yamuna waters be considered for the State of Punjab when apportioning the Yamuna waters. The Punjab CM said that instead of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, the project should now be reconceived as the Yamuna Satluj Link (YSL), as the Satluj River has already dried up and there is no question of sharing even a single drop of water from it. Rather, Mann said that water from the Ganga and Yamuna should be supplied to Punjab through the Satluj river. The Chief Minister stated that the SYL canal is an 'emotive issue' and that Punjab will face serious law and order problems, which will escalate into a national issue, with Haryana and Rajasthan also being affected. He categorically stated that Land for the SYL canal is not available as of today, adding that out of 34.34 MAF of water from the three rivers, Punjab was allocated only 14.22 MAF, which is 40 per cent. Mann said that the remaining 60 per cent was allocated to Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, even though none of these rivers actually flow through these states. The Chief Minister said that agreements and decisions of tribunals should be reviewed in light of changed circumstances and environmental developments, as international norms mandate a review every 25 years. He stated that Punjab's claim to a share of Yamuna water is similar to Haryana's share of Ravi-Beas waters, as the Irrigation Commission Report, Government of India, 1972, held that Punjab is a riparian state to the Yamuna River. Bhagwant Mann lamented that the Government of India is of the view that the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, is silent about the Yamuna Waters, as these waters were not considered shareable between Punjab and Haryana. This comes after Mann held a meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here. (ANI)
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Seeks Share In Indus Waters
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has made a compelling case for Punjab's rightful share in the Indus waters, while asserting that the state has no surplus water to offer to any other state. Participating in a meeting at Shram Shakti Bhawan in Delhi, the Chief Minister reiterated that Punjab's groundwater has been critically over-exploited, with 75% of its blocks declared overdrawn, and called for a comprehensive reassessment of the water availability in line with international norms. Mr Mann strongly opposed the construction of the contentious Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal and instead proposed an alternative - the Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL) - which he said would better serve the needs of water-deficient regions without burdening Punjab. He suggested that water from the Yamuna and Ganga should be diverted to Punjab, as the Satluj river has already dried up and cannot support any water-sharing commitments. Highlighting Punjab's critical role in national food security, Mr Mann emphasised that the state has made extraordinary contributions, supplying nearly 47% of wheat and 24% of rice to the national pool in 2024. He stressed that this service to the nation must be compensated, especially as Punjab has exhausted its natural water and soil resources in the process. The Chief Minister also proposed that the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty by the Government of India should be used as an opportunity to utilise water from western rivers like the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. He advocated for constructing new dams upstream of Bhakra and Pong to better regulate and store water, ensuring Punjab receives priority in future river water allocations. Further, Mr Mann recommended reviving the long-pending Sharda-Yamuna Link project. He explained that surplus water from Sarda could be routed to Yamuna and used to meet the water requirements of Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. This, he said, could eliminate the need for the SYL canal and help avoid potential law and order issues in Punjab, where the SYL remains a deeply sensitive issue. Mr Mann also pointed out that while Punjab receives only 40% of the water from its rivers, the remaining 60% is allocated to non-riparian states like Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. He said Haryana already receives 5.95 Million Acre Feet (MAF) from Punjab's rivers, along with 4.65 MAF from the Yamuna and 1.62 MAF via the proposed Sharda-Yamuna Link. With Punjab facing flood-related damages annually, the Chief Minister urged that the state should be compensated by partner states. He also called for a review of all past agreements and tribunal decisions every 25 years as per international environmental norms. Finally, he demanded Punjab's inclusion in Yamuna water-sharing agreements post-2025 and emphasised that the YSL canal is a more sustainable and logical solution to North India's water crisis.
