HOODA: Deliberate on modalities to resolve inter-state water related issues

Jalandhar, December 28, 2012: Haryana Chief Minster,  Bhupinder Singh Hooda has stressed that National Water Resources Council should deliberate on modalities to resolve inter-state water related issues. Speaking at 6^th the meeting of National Water Resources Council, in New Delhi today.

Hooda said that Haryana is great sufferer in this regard. It is neither getting water through SYL despite orders of the Supreme Court, nor is it getting its lawful share in the Ravi-Beas waters. The final award of  Ravi Beas Tribunal has not been published even after 25 years.

The meeting was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, which was attended by Union Water Resources Minister  Harish Rawat, other Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and Ministers from different States / Union Territories and officers of Centre and States.

Hooda said that Punjab has enacted a law terminating water related agreements and the Centre has allowed the Presidential Reference on the subject to linger on for more than eight years. This is unfair to the people of Haryana. The people of Haryana have several other grievances also. Although the State has its legitimate share in the Ravi and Beas rivers, as part of the erstwhile Punjab, but it has been denied its share in the power generated from the Thein Dam constructed unilaterally on the interstate river Ravi. We have been raising this issue at various forums, but there is no resolution yet.

Haryana CM said that we all very well know that water has become the most scarce natural resource, without which life cannot sustain. In the last one decade, the per capita water availability in India has reduced since 2001 from 1816 cubic meter to 1588 cubic meter. The situation in Haryana is much more worrisome, as the water availability in the State is only 14 MAF as compared to the requirement of 36 MAF. The storage projects on the tributaries of Yamuna river - at Renuka,  Kishau  and Lakhwar Vyasi have been pending for a long time, resulting in cost escalation and wastage of the precious water by default. Mr Hooda requested the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter for expeditious action. Such issues should have been listed for discussion at this meeting of the Council, he said.

Advocating the cause of achieving optimum utilization of water, he said that Haryana State observed the year 2011 as the year of water conservation.  Proper water management strategies have enabled the State Government to protect the crops during Kharif this year, when the State was facing a drought like situation. As a result, the State still continues to be one of the leading contributors to the national food basket. The State also has laid down an extensive irrigation canal network resulting in increase in area irrigated by canals. In the urban areas rain water harvesting structures have been made compulsory.

Hooda suggested that a National Fund should be set up, which should promote measures for protection and conservation of all types of water, including the waste water. He also said that we need to promote ‘water efficient buildings’ and ‘water efficient industries’. This fund can help in carrying forward the research in this important field.

He welcomed the proposal to set up a permanent Water Disputes Tribunal at the Centre to resolve disputes. However, he said that it is more important to ensure timely implementation of the orders/directions of various Tribunals and Courts. He also welcomed the proposal to constitute River Basin Authorities.  But these authorities should not have representation of those states, which have only nominal area in the basin, he said. The states which are part of the basin must be included.

Hooda also welcomed the setting up of Water Regulatory Authorities, but said that at this stage food security concerns are of overriding importance. Therefore, we may keep the irrigation water meant for food production outside the purview of these authorities. He urged the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter,  so that major contributors to the national food basket are not put to any disadvantage on this account.

Hooda regretted the idea put forth by the Punjab Chief Minister in his speech circulated yesterday in the NDC meeting that the neighbouring states, which share the river water available in Punjab should also share the cost of repair of flood damage. He emphatically said that water is our legitimate right and there is no question of sharing the cost of flood management of a state by any other state. 

He also suggested that to conserve precious water, we need to look at the available cutting edge technologies, especially in the agriculture and horticulture sectors. We have to move away from flood irrigation practices to modern methods of irrigation, such as drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation etc. In Israel, such technologies are being used on a vast scale.  Even the sewage water is being recycled and reused. We can learn from the experiences of other countries like Israel.  Government of India should consider giving incentives for adopting efficient water technologies, he said.

Hooda thanked the Prime Minister for convening this important meeting to consider the draft of the National Water Policy of 2012. He however insisted that Council should meet more often.