The Haryana Vidhan Sabha has recently passed a resolution that calls for the completion of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal. This canal, once completed, will facilitate the sharing of waters from the rivers Ravi and Beas between Haryana and Punjab. The proposed canal is 214 kilometers long and will connect the Sutlej and Yamuna river systems.
Background of the SYL Canal Dispute
The roots of the dispute can be traced back to the year 1960 with the signing of the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan. This agreement allowed India unrestricted use of the waters from the rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. In 1966, after the creation of Haryana from the erstwhile unified Punjab, the issue of water sharing resurfaced.
The construction of the SYL canal was seen as the solution for equitably distributing water from the Sutlej and Beas rivers between the states of Punjab and Haryana. However, Punjab argued against this on the basis of the riparian principle, which stipulates that a river’s water belongs only to the state or country through which it flows.
Legal Battles Over SYL Canal
The first agreement between the states regarding the re-allocation of water was made in 1981, and the construction of the SYL canal began a year later. However, protests, aggressions and targeted assassinations were carried out against this project. In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Akali Dal chief Sant agreed to establish a new tribunal to reassess the water situation.
The Eradi Tribunal recommended an increase in the shares of Punjab and Haryana in 1987. However, disputes continued. In 2004, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, ending water-sharing agreements and disrupting the construction of the SYL canal in Punjab.
In response to Punjab’s 2004 Act, the Supreme Court, in 2016, declared that Punjab had reneged on its promise to share the waters of the rivers, thus making the act constitutionally invalid. In 2020, the Supreme Court directed the chief ministers of both states to negotiate and settle the SYL canal issue.
Arguments of Punjab and Haryana
Punjab maintains that its groundwater has been over-exploited for irrigation purposes, and its current water resources are insufficient for sharing with any other state. On the other hand, Haryana argues that it is difficult to provide adequate irrigation and there is a problem of drinking water in southern parts of the state, where groundwater has depleted up to 1,700 feet.
About Sutlej and Yamuna Rivers
The ancient name of Sutlej River is Zaradros or Shutudri, and it is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River. The river rises on the north slope of the Himalayas in Lake La’nga in southwestern Tibet. It runs northwestward and then west-southwestward through Himalayan gorges before entering and crossing Himachal Pradesh.
The Yamuna River, a major tributary of the Ganges, originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandarpoonch peaks in the Mussoorie range of the lower Himalayas. This river flows through several states, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, before meeting the Ganges at the Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Way Forward
Resolving inter-state water disputes effectively requires the establishment of a permanent tribunal with appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. Amendments to Article 262 (Adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-State rivers or river valleys) and to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act should be considered to ensure fair access and distribution of water resources.
Past UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions Relating to River Systems
Previous year’s questions relating to river systems in the UPSC Civil Services Examination have included queries about which of the rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, or Sutlej directly join the Indus and the location of certain wetlands. Understanding these river systems aids in answering such questions accurately.
