Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday stated that there was no way the state could allow any new canal to be built for the diversion of its river waters to other states.Making it clear that his government had taken and would continue to take every possible administrative and legal action to save the river waters of Punjab, the Chief Minister declared in the Vidhan Sabha that his government will not allow any attempt to divert the water of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas to any other non-basin states.The state does not have any surplus water and any such attempt to divert its river water would render about one million acre of land in south-western Punjab barren and dry, he said, asserting that “Our Government will not let this happen at any cost.”Pointed out that it was an admitted fact that 2/3rd area of Punjab was already a dark zone, where ground water could not be extracted any more, Captain Amarinder said his government would continue to pursue the Government of India with their own order declaring 112 blocks of Punjab as dark zones.His government would urge upon the central government to apprise the Supreme Court that “Punjab does not have surplus water and there is no way we can build any new canal for carrying river waters to other states,” he added.
Reiterating his government’s commitment to save and conserve precious water resources of the state, the Chief Minister said they intended to clean and revamp the existing canals to ensure supply of adequate waters to all the state’s farmers. The government, he said, would re-visit the state’s policy on ground water management and was also committed to establishing a State Groundwater Authority to monitor and manage ground water on continuous basis. The Chief Minister declared his government’s intention to improve surface water availability and productivity in the state not only by fully relining the canals but also by canalizing the rivers. His government would create economic corridors on the state’s dhusis bunds, on three rivers namely Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, he said, adding that the feasibility study in this regard would be carried out quickly to ascertain techno-legal and financial implications thereof. The government would continue to pursue the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project more effectively so as to ensure its timely completion, said Captain Amarinder.
Rural water supply and sanitation was another issue high on his government’s agenda, said the Chief Minister, expressing concern over the fact that nearly 50% of the state’s rural population does not have piped potable drinking water connection. He announced his government’s decision to finish the pending initiative, started by him during his previous tenure as chief minister, to ensure a toilet and a water connection for all rural households in the next two years.Noting that solid waste management was no longer confined to urban areas, he said, contrary to the approach of the previous government to concentrate only on constructing and reconstructing the “gallian naalian” in the villages, his government proposed to initiate solid waste management projects in villages on a pilot basis. A total of 100 villages shall be taken up for the pilot in the very first year of his Government, to be scaled up to cover the rest of the state if they are found to be successful, he added.