CHANDIGARH: Decades-old inter-state river water disputes resurfaced in Punjab state politics as the Punjab Assembly passed five

CHANDIGARH — Decades-old inter-state river water disputes resurfaced in Punjab state politics as the Punjab Assembly passed five resolutions on October 27 seeking an equitable share in Yamuna waters, control over key headworks, and Rs 1.44 lakh crore in royalty from Rajasthan.

The legislative actions also demand the repeal of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, and the initiation of new projects to utilise Ravi waters currently flowing towards Pakistan. The special Assembly session followed a written assurance given by the state government to protesting farmers on September 7 after a weeklong protest near Chandigarh. The government had promised to convene the session to seek a review or repeal of Sections 78, 79, and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and to revisit existing water-sharing agreements.

The political flashpoint comes as Punjab marked 60 years since its reorganisation and the creation of Haryana on November 1, 1966. Under Section 78 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, states were required to reach an agreement on water sharing within two years, failing which the Centre was empowered to decide shares through an official order. Sections 79 and 80 established the Bhakra Management Board and the Beas Project.

Inter-state water disputes in the region trace back decades. In January 1955, an estimated 15.85 million acre-feet (MAF) of surplus Ravi-Beas waters was allocated, giving 8 MAF to Rajasthan, 7.2 MAF to undivided Punjab including PEPSU, and 0.65 MAF to Jammu and Kashmir. Following the 1966 reorganisation, the Centre issued an order in 1976 allocating 3.5 MAF each to Haryana and Punjab, alongside 0.08 MAF for Delhi.

The 1981 Tripartite Agreement among Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan further revised allocations to 4.22 MAF for Punjab, 3.5 MAF for Haryana, 8.6 MAF for Rajasthan, 0.65 MAF for Jammu and Kashmir, and 0.2 MAF for Delhi. The agreement triggered intense local opposition, culminating in April 1982 when the Akali Dal launched the ‘Nehar Roko Morcha’ at Kapuri in Patiala district.

The Eradi Tribunal was subsequently constituted on April 2, 1986, under Supreme Court judge V Balakrishna Eradi, recommending 5 MAF for Punjab and 3.83 MAF for Haryana in January 1987. Legal battles continued into the 2000s, notably when the Amarinder Singh-led government passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act in 2004. That legislation was later declared constitutionally invalid by the Supreme Court in an advisory opinion on November 10, 2016.

Additionally, Section 7 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, bars any state from imposing a seigniorage, additional rate, or fee on another state merely for river conservation or infrastructure works constructed within its territory.