The water crisis is not new to the six states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Delhi, unlike other states. Now, these states have signed the Kishau project in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Water Power Minister CR Patil.
However, it should be noted that Punjab is also facing water crisis, but Punjab is not participating in this project. While announcing the project, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Centre will bear 90 percent of the expenditure on this project, and the remaining 10 percent will be borne by the states.
He said that this team is a unique example in India. A 232.6-meter-high concrete gravity dam will be built on the Tons River, flowing on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. It will store 1562 million cubic meters of water. The project will benefit from irrigating 97,000 hectares of land and generating 1476 million units of clean hydroelectric power. The project is named after its original location, Kishau.
According to Amit Shah, this is a step by the central government to resolve long-standing water disputes in the country. Previously, the central government has resolved disputes related to Lakhwar, Shahpur Kandi, Renuka Ji, Ken-Betwa Link, Parvati-KalisindhChambal River Link, Yamuna Water Transfer from Hathinikund, Narmada Rehabilitation, and Son Basin.
If so many water disputes have been resolved, we cannot understand why the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal dispute, which has been pending between Punjab and Haryana, has not been addressed. The Punjab-Haryana water crisis over this canal dispute has been ongoing for years and has become a legal battle.
Now, not only Punjab and Haryana, but also Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan have expressed their intention to claim a share in the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, while Punjab maintains that it does not have a single drop of water to spare. Punjab’s position is that the agreement should be re-evaluated to reflect new needs and circumstances. Haryana argues that it has paid its share of compensation and completed the construction of its portion of the canal. It should now be given the water it deserves under the agreement.
We believe that now that the central government has resolved 11 water disputes in coordination with the states, the SutlejYamuna Link Canal dispute should also be resolved.