Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal:
The Haryana Vidhan Sabha has passed a resolution seeking completion of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal.
- The canal, once completed, will enable sharing of the waters of the rivers Ravi and Beas between Haryana and Punjab.
- The Satluj Yamuna Link Canal is a proposed 214-kilometre-long canal connecting Sutlej and Yamuna rivers.
- Water resources are under the State List, while the Parliament has the power to make laws regarding inter-state rivers under the Union List.
- Many areas in Punjab may go dry after 2029 and the state has already over-exploited its groundwater for irrigation purposes as it fills granaries of the Centre by growing wheat and paddy worth Rs 70,000 crore every year.
- Water in about 79% of the state’s area is over-exploited and in such a situation, the government says sharing water with any other state is impossible.
- It says that providing irrigation is tough for the state and there was a problem of drinking water in southern parts of Haryana, where groundwater has depleted up to 1,700 feet.
- Haryana has been citing its contribution to the central food pool and arguing that it is being denied its rightful share in the water as assessed by a tribunal.
