CM Mann Demands Indus Water Share for Punjab
Calls for Yamuna-Satluj Link as alternative; says Punjab has no surplus water to share
GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 9th July: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has reiterated that Punjab has no surplus water to offer and demanded a rightful share in the Indus river waters, while opposing the controversial Satluj-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.
Speaking at a high-level meeting at Shram Shakti Bhawan in the national capital, Mann urged a comprehensive reassessment of Punjab’s water availability using international standards, citing that 75% of the state’s groundwater blocks have been critically overdrawn.
Proposing a shift from the SYL to a more feasible Yamuna-Satluj Link (YSL), Mann said that water from the Yamuna and Ganga rivers should be routed into Punjab, not extracted from it. “The Satluj has already dried up. Punjab simply cannot afford to share water it no longer has,” he stated.
He highlighted Punjab’s critical role in national food security, contributing nearly 47% of wheat and 24% of rice to the central pool in 2024. “Punjab’s land and water have been overused to feed the nation. It is now time to compensate the state for this sacrifice,” the Chief Minister said.
Mann also urged the Government of India to utilise the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty as an opportunity to tap water from western rivers like the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. He proposed new upstream dams at Bhakra and Pong to enhance water regulation, giving Punjab priority in future allocations.
Additionally, the Chief Minister suggested reviving the long-delayed Sharda-Yamuna Link project to meet the water needs of Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. He argued that this would negate the need for the SYL canal, which has long been a flashpoint in Punjab, and help maintain law and order.
Mann criticised the present arrangement, under which Punjab gets only 40% of its own river waters, while the remaining 60% is diverted to non-riparian states. “Haryana alone already receives 5.95 MAF from Punjab’s rivers, in addition to allocations from Yamuna and the proposed Sharda-Yamuna Link,” he pointed out.
With Punjab facing recurring flood damages, he called on partner states to compensate Punjab for disaster-related losses. He also demanded a 25-year review clause in all inter-state water agreements, in line with evolving environmental norms.
Mann called for Punjab’s inclusion in post-2025 Yamuna water-sharing agreements and reiterated that the YSL canal is the only sustainable way forward for North India’s growing water crisis.
