'Why Send Water To Punjab? Did They Help Us?': Omar Abdullah On Indus Water Diversion Plan
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Omar Abdullah made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir should prioritise its own needs first
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday firmly opposed a proposal to divert surplus water from the Union Territory's rivers to Punjab.
Abdullah's remarks came in response to reports that India is planning to channel excess water from three western rivers of the Indus system—Chenab, Jhelum, and Ravi—from J&K to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan through a proposed 113-km-long canal.
Speaking to the media at a press conference, he made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir should prioritise its own needs first.
'Why should I send water to Punjab?" Abdullah said. 'I will never permit this. Let us use our water for ourselves first… There is a drought-like situation in Jammu."
He further stated, 'Punjab already had water under the Indus Water Treaty. Did they give us water when we needed it?"
The Chief Minister also referred to the decades-old water-sharing dispute between Punjab and J&K, particularly over the Shahpur Kandi barrage project in Pathankot. Although an agreement was signed in 1979, the project only moved forward in 2018, after intervention by the central government, India Today reported.
' Kitne saal unhone humein rulaya (They made us cry for so many years)," Abdullah stated.
The central government is reportedly working on a plan to fully utilise India's share of water under the Indus Waters Treaty. A feasibility study is ongoing for a 113-km inter-basin canal that will connect the Chenab River to the Ravi-Beas-Sutlej system.
This canal would divert surplus water from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The project is expected to integrate with 13 existing canal systems across these regions and eventually feed into the Indira Gandhi Canal—India's longest canal—helping redistribute water to drier areas.
First Published:
June 20, 2025, 17:16 IST
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