Share, not fight over, the rivers

Punjab and Haryana need to be sensitive to each other's water requirements

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The dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the sharing of water dates to 1966, when the erstwhile Punjab state was bifurcated to form Haryana. Since then, it has roiled the region and defied numerous attempts to reconcile the demands of both the states — Rajasthan and Delhi also have a stake in the dispute. This time, with farmers preparing for the kharif (summer) paddy crop, tempers are rising.

Haryana has demanded 8,500 cusecs of water, which it claims is its share of Beas-Sutlej flow, from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), a central body with representatives from states that monitor water availability and release. Punjab has opposed the demand saying Haryana has already utilised its share.

The latest flare-up has political undercurrents with the AAP government in Punjab and the BJP government in Haryana (also Delhi and Rajasthan) preferring a stand-off rather than a settlement that respects the concerns of all the interested parties. (We saw a similar stand-off between Delhi and Haryana over the Yamuna ahead of the assembly polls in Delhi.)