CHANDIGARH: Amid a fresh row over water sharing between Punjab and Haryana, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday asked the Centre to fill up Punjab's reservoirs by diverting the water flowing to Pakistan, now that the Indus Waters Treaty is in abeyance.
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.
He said that the Union government should divert the waters of Chenab, Jhelum, Ujh and other rivers to the state after cancelling the Indus Waters Treaty.
Mann said the state does not have a single drop of water to give to Haryana as its own paddy season is round the corner. He said Haryana has utilised its share of water in March and is now seeking additional water for April and May. "We told them that they should have used their share of water judiciously. We have a paddy sowing season coming up. There is already demand for canal water from farmers," he added.
Stating that hitherto Haryana has used 103 per cent of its allocated water, Mann accused the BJP of pressurising Punjab to release more water to the neighbouring state.
Mann alleged that the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is being illegally used by the BJP to achieve this goal. He said that Punjab has upgraded its canal water system due to which it now requires water to cater to the needs of its farmers in the wake of the ensuing paddy season.
Mann said that already the state has given 4000 cusecs of water to Haryana on humanitarian grounds to fulfill their drinking water needs. He said the water situation is dismal in the state, with water in the Ranjit Singh Dam and Pong Dam being 39 feet and 24 feet lower compared to the level recorded last year at the same time.
He said that the BJP should refrain from politicising the issue, noting that Punjab contributes 185 metric tons of paddy to the national food pool.
He said the groundwater situation in the state is very grim, adding that as most of the river resources of the state have dried up, it needs more water to cater to its irrigation needs.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has termed the statement made by Mann regarding water distribution as shocking. He said that on April 26, he personally spoke to Mann over the phone and informed him that the technical committee of the BBMB had decided to release water to Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan on April 23. However, officers from Punjab were showing reluctance in implementing this decision. On that day, Mann gave a clear assurance that he would immediately instruct his officers to ensure its implementation by the next morning, said Saini.
He further said that the Punjab government, however, did nothing and even stopped responding to calls from Haryana government officials, following which he wrote a letter to Mann to apprise him about the facts. Saini said he is astonished that instead of responding to his letter even after 48 hours, Mann had released a video in an attempt to mislead the public by disregarding the facts and polishing his political image in Punjab.