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Farmers to launch stir from Feb 3 over depleting water levels in Punjab
Five farm bodies led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) on Friday decided to launch a stir in Chandigarh from February 3 over the impending water crisis owing to an acute drop in subsoil water levels and a decrease in the quantity of water flowing in Punjab rivers.
Raising concerns over the impending water crisis owing to an acute drop in subsoil water levels and a decrease in the quantity of water flowing in Punjab rivers, five farm bodies led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Rajewal) on Friday decided to launch a stir in Chandigarh from February 3 to draw the attention of the Centre, the state government and the policymakers.
The five farm bodies held a discussion here and called upon the Punjabis to come forward for saving the water and environment, which is the lifeline of people, as the successive governments have failed to take up the issues.
BKU (Rajewal) head Balbir Singh Rajewal while addressing the convention, said, “In case, Punjab waters dry up, the state will also cease to exist.”
Rajewal added that the water issue has been made complicated by the political parties, who are busy with the politics of votes. “If there is no water in the state, there will be a shortage of foodgrains. The Centre has unconstitutionally interfered in the state’s water rights and pushed the two states - Punjab and Haryana into a long legal battle,” he added.
Rajewal called upon the chief minister Bhagwant Mann to take the matter to a conclusion.
Referring to a Vidhan Sabha committee set up in 2008, which in its report in 2010 had sought action against the liquor factories causing pollution and the Punjab pollution control board (PPCB) officials for giving permissions to these factories, Rajewal said, “The report was never implemented.”
Retired IAS officer Kahan Singh Pannu talked about the water agreements from the time to time since 1955, 1976 and 1981, and how they affected Punjab. “Water is being given to non-riparian states like Rajasthan and Haryana whereas the land of Punjab is thirsty,” he said, adding that Haryana was already drawing more water than what Punjab is getting, and in case more water is given to Haryana, 4 lakh hectares of the state in south-west part would go dry.
Apart from Rajewal, the leaders of the Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Bharti Kisan Union-Mansa, and Azad Kisan Sangharsh Committee attended the discussion.
Prem Singh Bhangu, a farm leader, said that it is a wake-up call and now or never for Punjab.
