AMRITSAR, MAY 17 — The state government is prepared to present a strong case for a complete reassessment of river water allocations during a high-level meeting with the Ravi-Beas Waters Tribunal on Sunday night.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will lead the discussions with the three-member tribunal, which is headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Justice Vineet Saran. The judicial panel arrived in Amritsar on Saturday evening for a comprehensive two-day assessment of regional water infrastructure and availability.
State water resource officials stated that the existing distribution framework does not accurately reflect current environmental realities. State data shows that the total water volume in the Ravi-Beas system has decreased from 17.17 million acre-feet in 1981 to 13 million acre-feet in 2021. Because of this substantial decline, administrative representatives declared that the state will firmly assert that the inter-state water distribution must be calculated completely afresh according to current availability.
The tribunal’s itinerary features multiple field inspections to evaluate physical infrastructure and regional challenges. The panel is scheduled to review operations at the Harike headworks before traveling to Ferozepur to inspect the Ballewal headworks of the Luther Canal.
The administration noted that the field visits will also serve to highlight critical environmental and supply crises impacting border communities. State representatives asserted that the delegation will be shown border zones deeply affected by highly contaminated water flowing from the leather tanning industries of Kasur in Pakistan into the Sutlej River. Officials maintained that the state will present exhaustive documentation regarding the acute shortage of canal water faced by agricultural networks in the border belt. Following the conclusion of the Punjab tour, the judicial team will travel to Rajasthan to continue its assessment.
