I was amazed at your editorial ‘Captain as Terminator’ (IE, July 14). If Rajasthan is denied water from Narmada, it is alright. If Punjab so much as looks at its own water it gets hit on the head.The following are the facts: One, the bedrock of democracy is the supremacy of the law. The law must not be applied in a partial and inconsistent manner. Two, the judgment is apparently based on agreements signed between Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and the Centre. Now the court is enforcing only one of the conditions, overlooking others that remain unmet. Three, the assets of Punjab and Haryana were to be divided in the ratio of 60:40. The Central government in 1976 divided the river waters of united Punjab in the following manner: Rajasthan, 8 MAF (non riparian); Haryana, 3.5 MAF (non riparian); Punjab, 3.5 MAF (riparian). A lion’s share of the waters of the Punjab was given away free to non riparian states.Four, in the undivided Punjab, Punjab’s share of the Yamuna water was 5.6 MAF. Haryana’ share post SYL will be: Punjab rivers’ 3.5 MAF plus Yamuna’s 5.6 MAF — a total of 9.1 MAF. Hence, Haryana with 40 per cent of the land area, will have more than twice the water of Punjab. Five, even without the SYL, Haryana’s share of water is a total of 7.2 MAF. If you add a few seasonal streams, it will go up. Punjab has 5.4 MAF. Haryana, therefore, has more water per hectare. But even with more water per unit area and higher total quantum of water, Haryana’s food production is still less than Punjab’s. Giving it more water will not increase food production commensurate with the cost. And it will damage Punjab irreparably.Six, Punjab has been denied water of the Yamuna because it is non riparian, though in the Yamuna basin. But Haryana could get Punjab’s water even though it was not riparian and may be in the Satluj basin.Seven, the above action has taken water from the water deficient basin and given it to a water surplus basin. This is against the National Water Policy Guidelines. Eight, the canal water allowance in Haryana and Rajasthan is 5 cusecs per 1000 acres and in Punjab it is 2.99 cusecs per 1000 acres. Nine, the amount of rainfall in south Punjab is the same as that in Rajasthan. Ten, the ground water in south Punjab is saline or sodic and cannot be used for drinking or irrigation purposes. Nine lakh acres in this area will be rendered a desert affecting 15 million people with the SC judgement.Let’s not have a different yardstick for Punjab and another for the rest of the country. Let the Punjab river water issue be decided by the Supreme Court according to the well settled principals of law — the riparian principal with equitable distribution.
