Unprecedented floods are at present ravaging Punjab. The last time the state suffered due to such floods was in 1988. The current year’s suffering of the people is far more intense. The state’s plight may worsen in the next few weeks, normally, the flood season is reckoned from August 15 to September 20. The dry land usually absorbs rain water up to the middle of August. It is only after mid-August that the flow of rain water starts. But this year, vast areas of Punjab have already reached a saturation point. The Bhakra and Pong dams which are fed by Sutlej and Beas rivers are already nearly full. The requirements of power generation at these projects will call for release of water one regular basis even during the rains. That means the downstream rivers will continue to flood the nearby areas with fresh rainfall. Extra ordinary rains in catchment areas (of Punjab’s rivers) in Himachal Pradesh will mean deluge in the state. Thus, clearly, Punjab should expect a much worse situation in August and September, Already, more than 300 per sons have died the loss to the cattle, houses, standing crops and infrastructure is inestimable.
The people’s misfortune is due partly to nature and is partly man made. There are reports that the Bhakra Beas Management Board authorities are releasing water from the Bhakra dam at night without advising the people of the low-lying areas. The board is controlled by India contrary to all laws and logic. Its personnel have no identity with the people of Punjab. The board committed this type of mischief even in 1988. Then the militants, who had their peculiar ways of dealing with situations, had shot down the then Chairman of the B.B.M.B. The manmade component of the present tragedy could have been minimized had the B: B.M.B. been in Punjab’s hands. The second contributory factor to the manmade part is the absence of dams either for the Ravi never or for the Ghagar River. The then dam construction is showing no progress. It was taken up more than two decades ago; the construction has yet to rise above the foundation level. Most of Rs 1100 crore spent so far has been caten up by corrupt bureaucrats and engineers. The Current floods may have further nullified whatever little progress was achieved. The catchment area of the river Ghagar falls in Himachal Pradesh while the dam site is in Haryana. The wild Ghagar water ravages Ropar, Patiala, Sangrur and Mansa distinct of Punjab and certain marginal areas of Haryana. The Ghagar River could be tamed by a dam that could be built near Pinjoreand Kalka. Haryana however has no interest in building a dam at the Ghagar. It is therefore, Punjab’s economic necessity that Kalka and Pinjore should be merged into Punjab so that a damn could be built on the Ghagar. The third major factor that wrought avoidable havoc was the digging of canals such as the Rajasthan canal, the Bhakra mainline canal and the half built $.Y.L. canal with unnatural Courses that impede flow of flood water, to cause misery in several distinct. The fourth factor that could have helped in minimizing the loss was the failure of Imation and drainage departments to service the flood drains on the state. This failure is directly linked to the widespread corruption in the state, ‘There is hardly any distinction between corruption during the Akali government or the Congress (1) government. Money changes hands when postings to Ube drainage department are settled.
It is, therefore, imperative that clear political issues should be framed as lessons from the current floods, the most important are: 1) that the control of B.B.M.B. which deal with the Sutlej and Beas niyers and their dam administrations should be in Punjab’s hands. 2) Punjab should get Kalka and Pinjore areas to tame the Ghagar with a dam. 3) The state should expedite construction of the dam. 4) Last but not least, the unnatural canals that cause havoc should be dismantled not only because these constitute encroachment on Punjab’s right to its rivers but also because they are the sources of the manmade component of floods.
‘These are basic human rights issues affecting more than two crore people in Punjab, mostly Sikhs, India is not only indifferent to Punjab’s plight but is actually hostile to its interests. This was amply demonstrated when Indian prime minister came to Punjab last week to pay lip sympathy and announce mere Rs 1 crore relief ‘fund. India is reluctant even to pay to Punjab the usual natural disaster grants that are its due every year. AS such, it is. Fit case for attention by the international communities. They should force and to concede the above mentioned demands to ensure the elementary human nights of Punjab and the Sikhs.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 23, 1993
