Haryana water-sharing row: As AAP protests outside Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar’s residence, Abohar MLA hands out bottles of unclean canal water to them

Handing over the discoloured water bottles to AAP leaders, Sandeep, who was currently suspended from the Congress, said, “Sunilji’s stand on Punjab’s waters is clear. He has always firmly supported Punjab’s interests and maintains that Punjab has no surplus water to share. But I urge you to talk about this contaminated water flowing through Malwa’s canals for over a month. Why are you silent on this issue? Isn’t denying Punjabis clean drinking water a violation of their basic rights? This polluted water comes from the Harike headworks in Ferozepur and is being supplied to canals in Fazilka, Muktsar, and other districts. Why haven’t you spoken up until now?”

Surprisingly, Arun Narang, former Abohar MLA and currently AAP’s Abohar constituency in-charge, deflected the issue by saying, “This is a matter for the Abohar Municipal Corporation. The Corporation is under BJP control, so please don’t show us this water… we haven’t come for that purpose.”

Sandeep Jakhar, however, claimed that the source of water is not the municipal corporation but the Harike headworks. “Water from the Sutlej and Beas flows into that headworks which further goes to the Ferozepur feeder canal and then through a canal network in Malwa. Abohar Municipal Corporation draws this water, cleans it, and supplies it to households. But for the past month, this canal water has not been potable, and the government has done nothing to raise or resolve the issue. The same water is flowing into hundreds of villages where they use it for drinking and irrigation purposes,” Sandeep said.

Despite the confrontation, the AAP delegation — including Fazilka MLA Sawna, Punjab Agro Chairman Shaminder Singh Khinda, former MLA Arun Narang, and District Planning Board Chairman Sunil Sachdeva —eventually left the place after lodging their protest against the alleged attempts by the Centre and Haryana to extract more water from Punjab via BBMB.

Sawna asserted that the Punjab government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to protecting the state’s water resources.

“Punjab is not violating anyone’s rights. We are protecting our own. Haryana has already received 3 per cent more than its entitled share and Rajasthan 11 per cent more. Punjab has used its share judiciously and has only received 89 per cent of what it is due. If Haryana is given more water forcefully, Punjab’s fields—especially in southern-western districts like Sri Muktsar Sahib and Fazilka—will dry up,” he warned.

However, the AAP leaders remained silent on the issue of canal water contamination in Malwa.

On Wednesday, a group of farmers visited Harike headworks and stated that the state government was not bothering to stop the discoloured water coming from the headworks towards canals.

The protest outside Jakhar’s residence was part of a statewide AAP campaign targeting BJP leaders over the water-sharing dispute.

The water-sharing issue

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) annually allocates water to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The current allocations—from May 21, 2024, to May 20, 2025—are: 5.512 MAF for Punjab, 2.987 MAF for Haryana, and 3.318 MAF for Rajasthan.

Haryana had already exhausted its share by March 31. Subsequently, the Haryana government appealed to Punjab for more water, citing drinking water needs. On humanitarian grounds, Punjab began supplying 4,000 cusecs daily to Haryana starting March 6. However, according to the Punjab government, only 1,700 cusecs are required to meet the drinking needs of Haryana’s 3-crore population.

A few days ago, Haryana demanded an additional 8,500 cusecs per day, which Punjab claimed was not meant for fulfilling Haryana’s drinking water needs but for irrigation. AAP leaders alleged that the crisis stems from Haryana’s mismanagement of its water resources.

Punjab, meanwhile, is grappling with its own water crisis caused by dipping groundwater levels, and dam levels: Pong Dam is down 32 feet, Bhakra Dam 12 feet, and Ranjit Sagar Dam 14 feet compared to last year.

Despite this, BBMB has allegedly decided to continue supplying additional water to Haryana and even transferred an officer in connection with the decision, AAP leaders alleged.