Punjab refuses to up Rajasthan’s share of water, cites technical reasons

JAIPUR: The meeting with Punjab Water Resources Department (WRD) regarding Rajasthan’s share of water into the Gang Canal System did not yield any immediate solution as the Punjab government refused to increase Rajasthan's share of water soon, citing ‘technical’ reasons.
However, the Punjab Government had agreed to increase the supply of water from Harike waterhead into the Gang Canal system feeding the Sriganganagar and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan once they overcame the problem.
“No immediate solutions had yielded in the meeting held on Friday afternoon. The Punjab government has told us that they are not going to increase the supply until and unless their problems get resolved. They have claimed that several canals of Punjab - linked with the Gang Canal System - located enroute Rajasthan are over flooded. Hence, they have to change the course of water towards Pakistan through River Sutlej,” said Amarjeet Singh Meharada, the chief engineer of state WRD (Hanumangarh region).
While Rajasthan’s share of water in the Gang Canal System is 2,800 cusecs a day, according to a pre-independence agreement, the Punjab government had sent only 1,000 cusecs in the last seven to nine days. Sriganganagar district is reeling under drinking water crisis and acute crisis for irrigation water.
Rajasthan WRD minister Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya and two chief engineers – Amarjeet Singh Meherada and Gourav Chaudhary – had gone to Punjab on Friday morning. Late in the afternoon, the team met Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, the WRD minister of Punjab. Punjab’s principal secretary WRD Krishan Kumar and chief engineer (canals) Narinder Kumar Jain were also present in the meeting.
“Chief minister Ashok Gehlot had already sent a letter to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann requesting him to look into the issue. We will definitely find out some solutions for this problem,” said Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya.
Officials from the Punjab WRD claimed that there is no forecast of rainfall as of now which means, the problem of overflooded canals in the state would get over in the next three to four days and hence they can increase the share of Rajasthan. “We would try to start increasing the share of Rajasthan into the Gang Canal System in the next two days, if everything works fine,” said a WRD engineer from Punjab on conditions of anonymity. Meanwhile, farmers’ agitation on Friday.