Punjab Halts Water Supply, Situation Worsens in Haryana; AAP Government Calls All-Party Meeting

Chandigarh/New Delhi (Uttam Hindu News): Tensions between Punjab and Haryana have escalated over the distribution of water from the Bhakra Canal, with Haryana now facing severe water shortages. To address the deteriorating situation, Haryana’s Public Works Minister, Ranbir Gangwa, convened an urgent meeting with officials in Chandigarh.

During the meeting, the minister instructed all field officers, including SEs, XENs, SDOs, and JEs, to remain at their respective headquarters and ensure that water was redirected from areas with a surplus to those in urgent need. The affected districts include Hisar, Sirsa, Mahendragarh, Narnaul and Fatehabad, where drinking water is now being rationed. Previously, these areas received water on alternate days, but the supply period has now been further reduced.

Minister Gangwa explained, "The state has 11,567 tube wells that are being used to supply drinking water. Additionally, water is being lifted from canals and transported through tankers to overhead tanks for distribution."

Meanwhile, the Punjab government has tightened security around the Bhakra Dam located in Nangal, with Punjab Police taking control of the dam’s control room and seizing its keys. Access to the dam has been completely restricted.

On Thursday evening, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a high-level meeting in Chandigarh regarding the ongoing crisis. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal were in attendance. Following the meeting, AAP Punjab President Aman Arora announced that an all-party meeting would take place on Friday at 10 AM, followed by a special session of the Punjab Assembly scheduled for Monday.

The dispute intensified after an emergency meeting of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Wednesday evening, where it was decided that Haryana would receive 8,500 cusecs of water, up from the previous 4,000 cusecs. However, the Punjab government refused to comply with this directive, sparking further tensions.

In response to the disagreement, BBMB replaced the Punjab-appointed Director of Water Regulation, Engineer Akashdeep, with Sanjeev Kumar, an engineer nominated by Haryana. Shortly after, the BBMB Secretary from Haryana, Surinder Mittal, was also removed and replaced with Balveer Singh, who is from the Punjab quota.

As the crisis deepened, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann personally visited the Nangal Dam to assess the situation and review security measures with the police.