Overview

• Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil convened the fifth SYL meeting in New Delhi on August 5, which failed to bridge the Punjab-Haryana divide.
• Punjab authorities maintain that no surplus water is available for sharing and have requested feasibility studies on tapping western rivers.
• Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann proposed diverting up to 23 million acre feet of Chenab waters to Punjab and then to neighboring states via new canals and dams.
• Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini described the talks as constructive and said his government will present a solution-oriented case when the matter returns to the Supreme Court on August 13.
• A high-tension standoff at Bhakra Dam in May, featuring the confinement of the Bhakra Beas Management Board chairperson and CISF deployment, highlighted the security challenges in the water dispute.