The North News
Chandigarh, April 30
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has categorically rejected the idea of sharing water with neighbouring Haryana, stating that the state is grappling with its own deepening water crisis and “does not have a single drop to spare.”
In a strongly worded letter addressed to Haryana Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini, Mann accused his counterpart of spreading misinformation through the media by claiming he had assured water supply to Haryana. “This is nothing more than a bundle of lies,” Mann wrote, adding that such statements are unbecoming of someone holding constitutional office.
The controversy stems from a phone conversation between the two leaders, which Mann confirmed did take place—but denied that any promise of additional water was made. “I cannot promise something Punjab doesn’t have,” he said. “We are in no position to share even a drop.”
Mann pointed to water allocations made by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which distributes water among Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan on an annual cycle from May 21 to May 20. For the current year, BBMB allotted 5.512 million acre-feet (MAF) to Punjab, 2.987 MAF to Haryana, and 3.318 MAF to Rajasthan. According to Mann, Haryana had already consumed its share by March 31, leading to the current shortage.
Despite this, Mann said Punjab had agreed—on humanitarian grounds—to supply 4,000 cusecs of water per day to Haryana starting April 6. He emphasised that 1,700 cusecs would have been sufficient to meet Haryana’s drinking water needs, given its population of around three crore. Instead, the Haryana government demanded over 2.5 times more than that amount, and recently requested an additional 8,500 cusecs daily—a volume Mann said was clearly intended for irrigation rather than drinking.
“The problem is of their own making,” Mann said, accusing Haryana of mismanaging its allocated share. He also underlined Punjab’s own water struggles, noting that groundwater is depleting rapidly and dam levels across the state are alarmingly low—down 32 feet at Pong, 12 feet at Bhakra, and 14 feet at Ranjit Sagar compared to last year.
“Our dams are drying. Every drop is precious,” he said. “There is no question of sharing water with any other state ” he added.
Mann further accused the BJP-led governments in Haryana and at the Centre of attempting to “rob Punjab of its legitimate share” by pressuring BBMB into passing new resolutions aimed at redistributing water. He vowed to resist such efforts.
“We will not allow Punjab to be plundered,” Mann declared. “The water belongs to our state, and we will fight to protect it,” he added.
