Punjab seeks share in Yamuna water allocation ahead of 1994 treaty negotiation

The demands were made at a high-level meeting of officials of the northern zonal council states held at Kartavya Bhavan on Monday.

The Punjab government has sought a share in the Yamuna water allocation on the grounds that it was also a successor state similar to Haryana, ahead of a renegotiation of the terms of a 1994 water-sharing agreement among the Yamuna’s riparian states, Delhi government officials said.

Two women contending over a spot in a long queue for tap water. The image depicts the daily struggle of people in many parts of the country, suffering from acute water scarcity.  ( Photo by Sandipan Mukherjee)

The demands were made at a high-level meeting of officials of the northern zonal council states held at Kartavya Bhavan on Monday. Delhi, on its part, maintained that its water share must not be impacted due to the demand, officials told HT.

A senior Delhi government official, who did not wish to be named, said that Punjab has argued that if Haryana can demand its share of water from the Ravi and Beas rivers as a successor state of united Punjab, then Punjab, too, should be entitled to a share of the Yamuna’s water. “Regardless of how the Yamuna’s water is allocated, Delhi’s designated quota must not be reduced. Delhi is already receiving around 225 cusecs less due to seepage and leakages. Delhi is supposed to get 1,149 cusecs water via Munak canal as per the water sharing agreement but only 924 cusecs of water is received at Bawana,” the official said. HT reached out to the Punjab government for a comment but no response was received till the time of going to print.

The water allocation among north Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan, was made on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed by the riparian states on May 12,1994. It is slated to come up for renegotiation after 30 years. Punjab has previously argued that while it shares Ravi-Beas waters with Haryana, it had been “unfairly excluded” from the 1994 MoU pertaining to the Yamuna. A 1954 agreement between undivided Punjab and Uttar Pradesh entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna’s waters, and the 1972 Irrigation Commission recognised Punjab as part of the Yamuna basin.

Meanwhile, landlocked Delhi continues to grapple with water shortage, given its dependence on neighbouring states for water supply. The Delhi Jal Board operates nine water treatment plants and an array of tubewells, which cumulatively have a target to supply 1,000 million gallons a day (mgd) of water, whereas Delhi has a demand of 1,250 mgd, indicating a 250 mgd gap. Delhi depends primarily on its neighbours for 86.5% of its raw water supply. According to the 1994 agreement, 0.724 billion cubic metres of the Yamuna water is allocated to the Capital and the share varies during three periods—July to October, November to February, and March to June.

A DJB official said that the population of Delhi was around 10-11 million in 1994 when the agreement was signed and it has risen to around 25 million now.

“Our demands have also significantly gone up. Delhi Jal Board has no objection to a re-allocation of the Yamuna’s water resources but Delhi’s specific quota must not be curtailed,” the official said. Diwan Singh, a water expert and Yamuna activist said that if Delhi and Haryana take water from Ravi-Beas system, technically Punjab can also lay claim on Yamuna’s water but the rights of river should also be taken care of. “States need to improve water management in their area. The river’s health cannot be ignored.”