CHANDIGARH, August 6 — Punjab and Haryana appeared to edge closer to a consensus on resolving the long-standing Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute, with both states signalling support for the diversion of Chenab river waters under the now-suspended Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.
The breakthrough, though tentative, emerged at a meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil, bringing together Chief Ministers Bhagwant Singh Mann of Punjab and Nayab Singh Saini of Haryana, along with top officials. The Centre convened the dialogue as part of its efforts to mediate the decades-old issue ahead of the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for August 13.
“The discussions were positive, and we have progressed from our last meeting held on July 9,” the two Chief Ministers said in a joint statement after the meeting.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Jal Shakti Ministry to facilitate talks between the states, with the Centre expected to submit a crucial statement before the bench on August 13.
Both Mann and Saini referenced recent remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, who indicated that Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan could benefit from the IWT’s suspension with Pakistan. “The PM made a positive statement, and we see a path ahead,” said Mann. “If Chenab waters are channelised to Punjab, we can create the storage infrastructure and share this water with Haryana and others. But as of now, Punjab has no water to spare.”
According to the Punjab CM, diverting the Chenab could bring as much as 24 million acre feet (MAF) of water to Punjab, dwarfing the 2–3 MAF currently contested under the SYL issue. “This is not a dispute of availability but of approach. The Chenab and Sharda-Yamuna projects offer long-term solutions,” he said.
Mann demanded that the SYL canal issue be permanently closed, proposing instead that Haryana’s water demands be met through alternative projects—chiefly, the diversion of Chenab waters and the revival of the Sharda-Yamuna link. He confirmed that Punjab would present these proposals formally to the Centre and the Supreme Court.
The Sharda-Yamuna link, designed to transfer surplus Sharda waters to the Yamuna, has been under consideration since 2022, when the Centre received feasibility reports. The project is expected to benefit not just Haryana, but also Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
At the meeting, Mann also suggested that the diversion of Chenab waters to the Beas through the Rohtang tunnel, along with the Sharda-Yamuna link, would make the SYL canal redundant. “The additional water available could not only fulfill Haryana’s needs from the Ravi-Beas system, but also meet Delhi’s drinking water demand and improve Yamuna availability for Rajasthan,” he said.
A follow-up meeting between Punjab and Haryana is expected ahead of the Supreme Court’s hearing.