Punjab, Haryana officials spar over allocation of river waters

Officials of Punjab and Haryana sparred at the technical committee meeting of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) this evening over the allocation of the river waters for the filling period of the dams, that begins on May 21.While the Haryana Government officials urged the BBMB that it required 10,300 cusecs of water for 10 days, from May 21-May 31, Punjab officials objected to this, saying Haryana’s share was 9,525 cusecs.The Punjab Government reportedly countered their request, saying the Bhakra Main Line or BML (that carries water to Haryana) runs at a maximum capacity of 11,800 cusecs, and Punjab itself required 3,000 cusecs from the BML for use in its territory for irrigation purposes.

Haryana officials, too, remained adamant in seeking additional water to meet their requirements. They argued that Punjab had already utilised an additional 32 per cent water than its own allocation. At today’s meeting, Punjab said it would require 35,000 cusecs of water for the paddy season, which was 35 per cent higher than the state’s water allocation of 26,000 cusecs in the corresponding period of 2024. The state has sought more canal water, saying it has carried out extensive rehabilitation work of canals and water courses to ensure more utilisation of canal water and reduce extraction of groundwater.

The Chief Engineers of Punjab Water Resources Department and Haryana Irrigation Department, representing their respective states, reportedly got into an argument at the meeting that lasted for one and a half hours. Punjab officials contended that critical points of the BML required urgent repair work as the canal had become susceptible to breaches during the month of June, when the canal runs at the maximum capacity. “This will not only ensure the safe operation of the canal but also benefit all partner states during the peak demand in the upcoming paddy season as the BML carries water to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi. It is for this reason that Punjab has requested Haryana not to demand an additional 4,500 cusecs of water in the BML…” said a state government official at the meeting.

With officials of both states arguing their cases, BBMB Chairman Manoj Tripathi intervened in the matter, saying they would look into the carrying capacity of the BML and then decide on how much water was to be allocated to the partner states.

Today’s meeting took place in the backdrop of the ongoing tensions between Punjab and Haryana over the demand made by Haryana to release 8,500 cusecs of additional water from the Nangal dam in April till May 20. Punjab said it would give 4,000 cusecs of water and no further, as the neighbouring state had already utilised its water allocation for the September 21, 2024- May 20, 2025 depleting period of the dam. Haryana has remained adamant on getting an additional 4,500 cusecs of water to meet its drinking water and domestic needs. The matter has now reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

It is learnt that other than Punjab and Haryana, a Chief Engineer of Rajasthan was also present at today’s meeting. On Saturday, Punjab had decided to release 5,500 cusecs of additional water to Rajasthan to cater to the drinking water needs of the armed forces, stationed there in the wake of the Indo-Pak conflict. The Rajasthan officials reportedly thanked Punjab for this.

Re-employment opposed

The Punjab Government on Thursday also objected to the re-employment of Haryana-cadre officer Husan Lal Kamboj in the BBMB. The state government, in a letter to the BBMB Chairman alleged that the officer was being re-employed for the second time without the approval of the Board.

‘Haryana complicating negotiations’

Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal slammed Haryana’s demand for again seeking 10,300 cusecs of water against its water share of 9,525 cusecs. He accused Haryana of complicating water-sharing negotiations and its” unwillingness to reach a reasonable resolution”.

 Punjab against optimum filling

The Punjab Government officials on Thursday night said they also opposed the suggestion reportedly made by Haryana, asking the BBMB to fill the Bhakra and Pong dams to their optimum levels. Bhakra is designed to have a capacity of 1,685 feet of water level, but is filled till 1,680 feet. Similarly, Pong dam is designed to have a capacity of 1,400 feet, but it filled to just 1,390 feet. Punjab rejected this proposal, saying the expert committee of the Central Water Commission had decided after the 1988 floods that the maximum level of Bhakra Dam should be kept at 1,680 feet and that of Pong Dam at 1,390 feet.

Haryana Tribune