SRINAGAR: A fresh inter-state row over river waters has erupted between Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah categorically opposed any move to divert water from JK’s rivers to neighbouring states. His remarks have drawn sharp reactions from major political parties in Punjab, who accuse him of politicising the issue and ignoring Punjab’s historical and agricultural vulnerabilities.
Speaking in Jammu on Friday, Abdullah said that the state was reeling under a water crisis and had every right to utilise its own river waters before considering their diversion. “Why should I send water to Punjab?” he asked, pointing out that Jammu city itself was facing acute shortages and that J&K should be prioritised. He further said that the proposed construction of a 113-km canal to carry surplus water from J&K to Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan would not be approved under his government’s watch.
The statement sparked swift condemnation from political circles in Punjab.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Neel Garg accused the National Conference leader of “deliberately politicising” the issue and reminded him that decisions over inter-state river waters lay solely with the Union government. “Omar Abdullah cannot take a unilateral call on the Indus water system. It is the Centre’s prerogative,” Garg said, adding that Punjab, too, is a border state that has long borne the brunt of wars and has filled the country’s granaries despite severe groundwater depletion.
“In feeding the nation, Punjab has drained itself. Now that the Indus Water Treaty has been put in abeyance, Punjab has a rightful claim over its share,” Garg added.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring called Abdullah’s remarks “absurd” and accused the J&K leader of playing to the gallery. “The proposed canals are meant to stop our water from flowing to Pakistan, not to deprive JK. Punjab is the natural recipient of these waters,” Warring said. He warned that such statements risk sowing division between states and sidestep the larger national interest.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also weighed in, reminding the public of what it called a “historic injustice” done to Punjab by the Indira Gandhi government when large portions of river water were allocated to Rajasthan, a non-riparian state. Senior SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said, “Now Omar Abdullah wants to do the same. He wants to repeat history by denying Punjab what is rightfully ours.”
Cheema argued that Punjab’s rivers have already shrunk, groundwater levels are at crisis point, and farmers are crushed under debt. “This is a historic moment to undo the injustice done to Punjab. The Centre must stand firm and ensure that the waters are distributed justly,” he said, urging Abdullah to consider the plight of Punjab’s farmers before issuing “politically loaded” statements.
The row comes in the wake of the Central government’s decision to keep the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance and initiate several infrastructure projects to redirect unutilised water for national use. Among these is a proposed canal to carry water that would otherwise flow across the border.
Abdullah, however, remains adamant. Recalling how Punjab allegedly blocked water from the Ujh multipurpose project and the Shahpur Kandi barrage in the past, he said, “They made us suffer for years. Let us be allowed to use our water first. Then we will talk about others.”
While underlining the government’s plans to expedite the Tulbul Barrage and bring Chenab water to Jammu, Abdullah insisted that the needs of J&K would be prioritised.
The escalating debate marks a renewed challenge in India’s complex federal water-sharing landscape, where the Indus basin, governed historically by an international treaty, is now becoming a theatre of renewed internal contest after decades of geopolitical constraint.
