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The Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue is in focus again in Haryana and Punjab politics following the Supreme Court’s direction on Wednesday ordering the government of Punjab to complete the construction of the project. This has strengthened the hand of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana, placing a massive strain on the relationship between the neighbouring states.
In a scathing attack on the AAP government in Haryana, Khattar on Friday called it a “do-muhi sarkar (two-faced government)”. The Haryana CM said, “The Mann government is a ‘Do-muhi sarkar’ as it gives contradictory statements on the SYL issue. Instead of finding an amicable solution to this issue, the Punjab government is shedding crocodile tears. The Supreme Court has given a three-month deadline to the central government to take possession of the land which has been acquired. I urge the Central government to immediately start the survey process in Punjab to complete work of the SYL canal.”
Khattar claimed that due to the construction of the canal not only was Haryana facing a water crisis but the excess water of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas was “going to Pakistan”. The Haryana CM claimed that Haryana had always been in favour of finding solutions “through mutual dialogue”.
Parties in both states have stuck together for the “larger interests of the state”. The Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and BJP in Haryana are in favour of the canal’s construction while the BJP, Congress, and AAP in Punjab oppose the project. Hardline Sikh group Dal Khalsa has warned that any attempt to construct the canal can potentially trigger a “rebellion in Punjab”.
Resolution proves elusive
The SYL canal has been a livewire between Punjab and Haryana for decades now. Since 2002, the Supreme Court has been directing both the states and the Union government to find an amicable solution to the dispute, underlining that the canal needs to be constructed. The construction of the canal in Haryana’s jurisdiction has been completed and the top court has now asked Punjab to assess the work done so far and expedite it.
The court on Wednesday asked the Union government to “survey the portion of the land allocated for the project in Punjab to ensure that the land is protected …” and find out “how much has been made and what has been made”.
Since then, both states have hardened their position. After a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said “not even a single drop” of additional water would be shared with any state. A legal route would be explored, he added.
With the court issuing directions to the Union government, the pressure is now on it to navigate the situation. In Haryana, the BJP’s alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is under strain and it cannot afford to go soft on the water issue as it cannot afford any adverse electoral impact in a state where it has won all 10 parliamentary seats the last two elections. In Punjab, the party holds just two of the state’s 13 Lok Sabha seats and is trying to find its footing, a job made even more difficult by the end of its alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
What the Punjab and Haryana governments say
After the Ajay Chautala-led INLD attempted to dig the Punjab portion of the SYL canal in February 2017, a major clash between the people of the two states was averted because of caution exercised by the police. Hundreds of police personnel and paramilitary personnel were deployed at the Shambhu barrier (border between Punjab and Haryana in Ambala district).
Subsequently, multiple rounds of talks between Punjab and Haryana CMs, a few even in the presence of Union Ministers, were held but a breakthrough proved elusive.
Ever since Mann assumed power last year, he has been maintaining that Punjab does not have any surplus water to share with its neighbour.
“At the time when the agreement for the canal was made, Punjab was getting 18.56-million-acre-feet (MAF) of water. This has now been reduced to 12.63 MAF. Haryana is currently getting 14.10 MAF of water from Sutlej, Yamuna, and other rivulets whereas Punjab is getting only 12.63 MAF. Despite being smaller in area, Haryana is getting more water,” Mann said at a meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat earlier this year.
Khattar has argued that Punjab has been using Haryana’s share of water. He has claimed Punjab has been “using about 1.9 MAF of Haryana’s share of water” and that share will belong to Haryana following the SYL canal’s construction.
The Haryana CM has said that if the construction is completed on the Punjab’s side, “about 10.08 lakh acres of the state will be irrigated” besides combating “water shortage” and replenishing groundwater in southern Haryana. Khattar argues that “the issue of construction of the SYL canal in Punjab and water availability should not be conflated”.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ISSUE
📌March 24, 1976: Centre issues notification for allocating surplus Ravi-Beas waters to Punjab and Haryana; Haryana suggests SYL canal be constructed.
📌June, 1980: A water-sharing treaty is signed between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan; Punjab agrees to complete construction in two years.
📌December 31, 1981: Haryana completes construction of the canal
📌 November, 1985: Punjab Assembly passes a resolution repudiating the water-sharing treaty
📌 July, 1990: Construction of canal in Punjab stops
📌 2002: Matter reaches SC; Court directs Punjab to complete construction within an year.
The two states continued to battle it out in the SC subsequently.
