Sharing the concern of his Haryana counterpart Manohar lal Khattar on wasteful flow of river waters into Pakistan, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday urged “careful assessment” of the matter while calling for similar efforts to prevent wastage of Yamuna river water too.
Capt Amarinder ruled out the need for any separate interaction between Punjab and Haryana or for engaging Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to undertake feasibility studies on the proposed second Ravi-Beas link since the matter was under consideration of the high powered committee set up by the Central Government for implementation of the national projects.
“We would surely like to check all wasteful flows of river waters, and secure every drop of it for our farmers, but these have to be carefully assessed,” said Capt Amarinder replying to Khattar’s letter dated, May 7, 2018, regarding utilization of Ravi Water flowing into Pakistan.
“In Punjab, we are of the considered opinion to fully secure and utilize the Ravi water as also of other two rivers — Sutlej and Beas for our farmers, without letting it go waste in any manner,” said Capt Amarinder, while calling for concerted efforts also for utilization of all other river waters going waste.
Citing authoritative sources, he said that out of the 75 percent Yamuna waters received in the month of July, August and September, as much as 50 percent goes waste.
Acknowledging the need for preventing wasteful flow of river water, Capt Amarinder said that Punjab was indeed facing unprecedented water crisis, with its water needs for agriculture having been assessed at 52 MAF, of which river water contribution is hardly to the extent of 27 percent only. This was causing the farmers to depend underground water resources, which had depleted alarmingly, he wrote.
Capt Amarinder, however, pointed out that the utilizable discharge of River Ravi had been determined at Madhopur rim station, and the discharge flowing in tributaries (Ujh, Bein, Basantar, Jallala and Tarnah) which join river Ravi downstream Madhopur headworks, was flashy, uncertain and unreliable.
A storage dam on Ujh rivulet had been planned by Jammu and Kashmir Government in their territory up-stream of an existing barrage on the said rivulet, he further pointed out.
Noting that the wastage of discharge pertained mainly to supply of water from Ujh, Capt Amarinder suggested that it might, therefore, “be appropriate to examine availability of discharge post-construction of Ujh dam”.
Capt Amarinder pointed out that in 2008, Superintending Engineer, Drainage Circle, Amritsar, had referred to the proposal of J&K Government for construction of storage dam on Ujh rivulet, stating that excess discharge available at Ujh storage dam could be diverted to Shahpurkandi barrage.
On the basis of flow data for the period 1999 to 2008, and data available from Google earth imageries, two alternative proposals were prepared by Central Water Commission (CWC) for diversion of Ravi waters to Harike or any other suitable place on Beas River, Capt Amarinder wrote in his communiqué to Khattar.
The first proposal, he said, pertained to lifting of water of river Ravi at Makkora Pattan and dropping it in UBDC mainline at RD 79,000, while the second pertained to lifting of water at Jainpur and dropping the same in UBDC mainline at RD 79,000.
Both these proposals were not found technically feasible, he said, adding that CWC had received the technical reports in 2015.
Further, Capt Amarinder pointed out that the high powered steering committee for implementation of national projects considered the matter in its meeting on March 3, 2017, and a team comprising officers of Central Water Commission and Punjab Irrigation Department was constituted to visit the site of the proposed Second Ravi-Beas link.
The team has not yet suggested any technically viable option which can be finalized, he said, adding that, apparently, construction of water reservoirs in Punjab for Ravi waters was not technically possible.