Centre holds emergency meeting on Haryana water crisis

Due to the unusually high temperature and less than normal rainfall this summer, water crisis has become acute in several states of North India. The situation has become serious especially in Haryana and Rajasthan. In this context, the Union Home Ministry organized an emergency high-level meeting in Delhi on Friday.

The meeting was chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The main topic of discussion was the implementation of an important decision of the Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB) on additional water supply to Haryana. The ministry informed that it has been decided to release an additional 4500 cusecs of water for the next eight days to meet the needs of Haryana.

The Union Home Ministry said in a statement, “In view of the acute water crisis in Haryana, the decision to release additional water from Bhakra dam as per the instructions proposed by BBMB will be implemented.” However, importance has also been given to ensuring that Punjab is not affected as a result. The statement further said, “BBMB will provide Punjab with an equivalent amount of water as compensation for the additional requirement during the filling of the dam.”

As a next step, BBMB will soon convene a board meeting where the specific modalities and implementation mechanism of this temporary water release will be finalised.

The high-level meeting was attended by top bureaucrats from the central government, BBMB, and the concerned states – Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The board, which is responsible for managing the Bhakra and Beas rivers, distributes water among the concerned partner states, including Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Every year, when the weather turns dry at the beginning of summer and the water level in the reservoirs decreases, the water dispute between these states begins. This year, the crisis has become more acute as the advance heat wave and drought conditions in Haryana have led to a severe shortage of water for agriculture and drinking water.

 In this situation, the decision to release excess water on an emergency basis through BBMB will not only help in dealing with the situation in Haryana, but will also serve as an example of coordination between the Centre and the states. However, observers believe that instead of facing such crises again and again, the need of the hour is to find a sustainable solution through a long-term water policy.