Saturday, March 29, 2025
Chandigarh, May 15 – Tensions between Punjab and Haryana over water-sharing escalated on Wednesday, as Punjab Water Resources and Soil Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal denounced Haryana’s latest water demand of 10,300 cusecs as “technically impossible” and an obstruction to finding a practical solution.
Speaking after the Technical Committee meeting of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Goyal said Haryana’s revised demand—up from its prior request of 9,525 cusecs—exceeds the capacity of current infrastructure and contradicts earlier agreements.
According to Goyal, “Haryana had originally requested 8,500 cusecs. Despite Punjab’s clear explanation of the constraints, we agreed to supply 4,000 cusecs since April 4 purely for drinking water purposes. However, now they’ve raised their demand to 10,300 cusecs, which is not only unexpected but also unjustified.”
Punjab presented documents during the meeting to show that Haryana had formally requested 9,525 cusecs earlier. The sudden jump in demand raised eyebrows, and BBMB Chairman acknowledged this inconsistency, committing to investigate the matter further.
Minister Goyal emphasized that the Bhakra Main Line (BML), the key infrastructure for delivering water, can handle only up to 11,700 cusecs. Punjab itself requires at least 3,000 cusecs for its own use. “If Haryana gets 10,300 cusecs, Punjab will be left with next to nothing,” said Goyal. “This demand simply exceeds what is physically feasible, especially as BML is under repair.”
He accused Haryana of complicating the water-sharing negotiations intentionally, adding, “This is not an attempt to resolve the issue; it’s a move to disrupt established cooperation.”
Despite Haryana’s actions, Goyal reiterated Punjab’s commitment to following BBMB protocols and maintaining transparency. “We’ve complied with every rule. The 4,000 cusecs we’ve been supplying are from our own allocation. Haryana must return this volume when needed.”
During the meeting, Rajasthan officials thanked Punjab for consistently ensuring water supply. In contrast, Goyal noted, Haryana chose confrontation by escalating its demands.
