Punjab, Raj lock horns over diversion of canal water

Bathinda: In yet another battle in Punjab and Rajasthan's intractable water war, the two states are now locked in a dispute over diversion of canal water. Rajasthan water resources department has objected to Punjab irrigation department officials trying to puncture the Indira Gandhi canal (also called Rajasthan canal) to carry water to areas of Muktsar and Fazilka district.
The Punjab irrigation department on Thursday tried to break the small common service bank near Bhullar village in Muktsar district to direct Sirhind feeder water into the Rajasthan canal.The officials wanted to supply the water to parts of Muktsar, Fazilka and Ferozepur. However, their attempt was foiled as Rajasthan irrigation officials objected to it.
Earlier, the Punjab irrigation had broken the service bank in 2010 and had used the water of Rajasthan without paying anything.
Congress MLA from Abohar Sunil Jakhar had protested for two days earlier this week, alleging that there was no water available for farmers of Fazilka. Earlier in the week, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had also held a meeting of irrigation department officials and directed them to provide water to the tail-ends of canals in Fazilka and Muktsar.
Punjab irrigation department had written to the Rajasthan government on June 20, requesting water from the Rajasthan canal. However, said sources, the department started breaching the common service bank for water from the Rajasthan canal without waiting for the consent from Rajasthan government.
Rajasthan water resources department chief engineer at Hanumangarh Rajkumar Chaudhary said, "The Punjab irrigation department officials tried to cut the common service bank of both canals without our consent. Though the Punjab government had written to us on June 20, we had not responded to it. When we got to know about it, we sent our officials and stopped Punjab from doing so. We also sent a letter to the Punjab government protesting against the incident."
When contacted, Punjab irrigation secretary Kahn Singh Pannu said, "As Sirhind feeder is an interstate canal, we had requested the Rajasthan government to allow us to close the canal for cleanliness in April. The work of clearing hyacinth at Harike barrage too could not be undertaken as the Rajasthan government had not paid its share of Rs 35 crore. With no cleanliness, the capacity of canal decreased and water could not reach the farmers in Muktsar and Fazilka. Our officials were in touch with Rajasthan to rotate canal water. We only wanted to divert water from Sirhind feeder to Rajasthan canal so that it could further be taken to areas getting no water in Fazilka and Muktsar."
Both Rajasthan canal and Sirhind feeder start from Harike headworks in Punjab and run parallel. The Rajasthan canal carries 18,000 cusecs water to Rajasthan whereas Sirhind feeder, with a capacity of 5500 cusecs, stops at Lohgarh headworks on the Punjab-Rajasthan border.
Only 25% of Sirhind canal water goes further to Rajasthan. Currently, only 4,000 cusecs is flowing in the Sirhind feeder due to silting in the canal as it couldn't be cleaned on time.