Won't allow J&K's water to be diverted to Punjab

No approvals have been given for building a canal to divert surplus Indus waters to other states, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said on Friday, asserting that the Union territory should be allowed to use its share of water first before the needs of other states are considered.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU:

Abdullah specifically referred to the neighboring state of Punjab, accusing it of "maltreating" J&K for years by not sharing water from projects that are part of the Indus Waters Treaty. Sharing of water between states has been a contentious issue in India in the past.

For example, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala have been in a long-standing conflict over sharing of water from the Cauvery river, which traces its roots to two agreements signed in 1892 and 1924 between the Madras Presidency and Kingdom of Mysore. More recently, Punjab refused to release additional water for Haryana from the Bhakra dam accusing the neighboring state of having exhausted its annual share of water in May.