Water row: Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh accuses Punjab of ‘dirty politics’, AAP says ‘BJP now wants to steal water’

A senior DJB official told The Indian Express, “Presently, there is no water crisis or shortage in Delhi. We are getting allocated water from Haryana.”

Responding to Singh’s remarks, senior AAP leader Atishi said, “There should be a limit to the excuses one makes to hide their incompetence. The BJP has failed to manage the water situation in Delhi and Haryana, and now they want to steal Punjab’s share of water? If Delhi and Haryana genuinely need more water, why doesn’t the central government divert the water from the Indus River that currently flows into Pakistan?”

The latest standoff comes against the backdrop of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s refusal to release additional water to Haryana in the past few days.

On April 29, Mann refused Haryana’s request for more water, asserting the state had already used 103% of its allocated share under the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). Mann accused the BJP of pressuring Punjab through the BBMB and said, “They are now trying to rob Punjab of its water… We do not have a drop extra.” He cited Punjab’s need for water ahead of the paddy sowing season.

The demand was raised by Haryana on April 23 during a BBMB technical committee meeting. Following that, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini wrote to Mann on April 27, referring to a phone conversation where Mann allegedly assured him of compliance with the BBMB decision to release 8,500 cusecs to Haryana.

“Drinking water crisis is erupting fast in many places,” Saini warned, urging action to avoid monsoon-season water releases into Pakistan now that the Indus Waters Treaty was suspended on April 23 following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Delhi’s water allocation from Haryana is governed by a 1994 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, regarding the allocation of the surface flow of the Yamuna up to Okhla. As per the MoU, the drinking water allocation of Delhi is first met, and the balance is distributed amongst Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. As per the water sharing agreement, roughly 435 MGD is Delhi’s seasonal share (March to June).

As per the Upper Yamuna River Board allocation, Haryana must release 1,050 cusecs of water to Delhi — 719 cusecs via the Carrier Lined Channel (CLC) and 330 cusecs via the Delhi Sub Branch (DSB), drawing from the Yamuna and Ravi-Beas rivers.
This is not the first time Delhi has been caught in the crossfire between the BJP and AAP governments over water. During past summers, AAP leaders, including then water minister Atishi, accused the BJP-ruled Haryana government of cutting off Delhi’s “rightful share” of Yamuna water.

A year ago in May, the Delhi government approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent directions to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to release more water to the National Capital Territory (NCT), stating that the unprecedented surge in summer temperature in Delhi has triggered a rise in the water demand. In response, the apex court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release its surplus 137 cusecs of water, and asked Haryana to do the needful to facilitate the water’s flow into the national capital.