By: Heet Dhawale; Edited by: Shagun Khetan
In a world where we live with not only unlimited but also clean water availability, it seems unnatural (to the point of being foreign) to think about water scarcity. Yet, these two words span the problem that has erupted in conflicts between big nations and small cities. One such close instance is between Punjab and Haryana. Ever since divided, these two states have not been able to solve their water crisis. One of them is Sonipat, which Ashokans call home for most of the year.
THE PAST
The story begins even before the British left India. The Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan allowed the former ‘free and unrestricted use’ of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Haryana was carved out in 1966 when the present state of Punjab was reorganized. While earlier they shared the water source, now came the problem of who would get how much water. In 1981, both states mutually agreed to the reallocation of water. In 1982, construction of the 214-km Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) was launched in Kapoori village, Punjab. But alas, only if it were that easy. Agitations, protests and assassinations broke out in protest creating a hostile environment in the state of Punjab and making it an issue of national security. A new tribunal was set up by the Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the ̨Akali Dal Head. Named the Eradi Tribunal, it was headed by Supreme Court Judge V Balakrishna Eradi and set up to reassess the availability and sharing of water. They recommended an increase in the shares of Punjab and Haryana to 5 MAF( Million Acre Feet) and 3.83 MAF, respectively. Punjab, however, still was not ready to part with one of its most important resources. Why, you ask?
Punjab, Being a paddy-growing state after the green revolution, required around 5000 liters to grow a kilogram of rice. That's the same as the amount of water an average person drinks in about seven years. It has contributed to 30% of the paddy and wheat cultivation, and is worth about Rs 70,000 crore of paddy and wheat every year. This unimaginable amount of water has led to severe groundwater depletion.
In 2004, the Punjab Assembly passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, terminating its water-sharing agreements and thus jeopardizing the construction of SYL in Punjab. However in 2016, the act was deemed invalid as a legislation and in 2020, a fresh tribunal was to be made to assess the current situation of the water body. It makes one wonder, how long can this issue be postponed? The states cannot run away from their situation (many areas in Punjab may go dry after 2039) and it will not be long before the repercussions materialize and this issue seems only too easy.
THE PRESENT
There are mainly two ways in which water can be acquired for irrigation and drinking- from above the surface of the earth (surface water) and from below (groundwater). The groundwater has been exploited in 5 out of 8 blocks in Haryana. This has been mainly due to the introduction of high-yielding but water-intensive paddy varieties during the Green Revolution. It has no perennial source of water and all its seasonal streams are selectively used for irrigation.
The state currently receives surface water from Yamuna, Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers as per various interstate water sharing agreements. The Western Jamuna Canal (WJC) system and Bhakra system are the two main canal systems irrigating 2.97 million hectares . But this distribution does not remain equal due to the geographical differences of the state and the skewed distribution of canal water in different commands. The water use efficiency in the state is 60% and for WJC system the water use efficiency is 36%- 43%. The water availability in the state is 14 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and the projected water demand is 36 MAF in 2045. Currently, Haryana gets 1.62 MAF of this share via the existing canal network but wants the SYL canal to deliver the remaining allocation. This gap remains unfulfilled even when the canal network in SYL is built. Therefore, the area of focus is not on the canal to be built but rather on the sustainability of the water sources to be managed. Either that or completely overhaul the economy to reduce the unfair burden on its agricultural sector.
But this has not let Haryana to fall back. The constraints have caused innovation to bloom. Use of micro irrigation techniques like drip and sprinklers has been made to save per unit on irrigation water and data shows that Haryana has marched ahead on this front. Due to SYL not being built, districts like Mahendargarh, Bhiwani and Hisar have adopted advanced techniques that have not only saved water but also advanced production. It has raised water from lower levels to higher and drier slopes. This resulted in a new endeavour that gave practical shape to lift irrigation for the first time in India.
But our concern does not end there. It starts with Rai, Sonepat.
On the official website of the government of Sonipat, it is written simply, and frighteningly, “There is no perennial river in the district.” The Central Ground Water Board’s calculation below shows that in 2009, there was no water left in the ground for future use. Therefore, the districts of Panipat, Sonipat, Rewari, Rohtak and Jhajjar are supplied water through the WJC system.
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE FOR THE PEOPLE IN SONIPAT?
Largely, the water in Sonepat is not fit for drinking due to its high salinity and fluoride content. Maanas Kauntia, in his paper, has explained the local situation in one of our nearby villages Assawarpur. Used water (including sewage water) is drained from individual households into a lake. Over the years, like the big legacy dump ground in Delhi, this has been associated with being “dirty.” This causes the quality of water to deteriorate significantly as the complex chemicals from the sewage trickle down into the ground. Sand mining in the Yamuna has further disrupted groundwater replenishment, and the industrial waste in Sonepat further contaminates the river, worsening groundwater quality due to seepage into surrounding areas.
Interviewing locals, Rai water has been tasted too “khaara” (brine.) People in the village who cannot filter the water have to drink the water that is unfit and unhealthy. After getting used to drinking that water, it is also hard for them to realize that this water may be contaminated.
WHAT IS ASHOKA UNIVERSITY DOING ABOUT IT?
Living in Rai, this all would be coming as a big surprise. We can afford the filters so we do not taste the saltiness of the water and do not have to worry about the scarcity we are faced with every second. Our environment determines our living conditions and just because it has not been caught yet does not imply it never will.
We as a community have consumed 1,82,264 Kilo Litre of water in 2023 itself. This quantity of water, if translated into rainfall, is equivalent to what would cover 69.45 acres of land in a year, given Sonipat’s average rainfall. This approximately translates to over 1,300 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Yes, that much.
THE FUTURE : WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ASHOKANS?
Sonipat itself has taken measures to make sustainability a priority. Ashoka is built with a 13 acre green area out of 25 acres. From water aerators in taps to centralized air conditioning, every single detail is painstakingly taken care of. Measures have been taken at Ashoka University to not only become sustainable in campus but also its surroundings. In talk with Mr Bhaskar Mishra, the efforts are highlighted with which Rai will be moved towards being sustainable.
We as students need to at least know what goes on in our surroundings. This rare find led me to know that many important steps are being taken and we at least should contribute by being cognisant and then implementing them in our daily actions.
Further Reading
The districts of Haryana covered under the Sub-regional plan, have no perennial river. The Yamuna flows along eastern boundary. The Markanda stream (ancient name was Aruna) is a seasonal stream like the Ghaggar, it originates from the lower Shivalik hills and enters Haryana near Ambala, hence cannot be used. All the seasonal streams are selectively used for irrigation. However Markanda, swells up during the monsoons. A new canal from Yamuna has been proposed. A Rs.5-crore canal drinking water scheme for Sonipat is among the development projects to begin work soon. Once constructed, this canal will supplement the demands of both drinking and irrigation water. Therefore, at present the water supply has to depend primarily on ground water and canal water. The canal-based water supply schemes are mainly implemented in Rewari district.
Sonipat District Construction of shallow tube wells in areas along active flood plains of Yamuna with shallow water level can help in augmenting water supplies in the area Areas witnessing decline of water levels have to be demarcated and rainwater harvesting including artificial recharge measures be taken up in a big way to reduce the impact. Areas having shallow water levels and soil water salinity are improvised using subsurface drainage
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