On Punjab's Rights Over Its River Waters And Contested Distribution Of Water To Non Riparian States (1-2 April 2026 Article By Parmjeet Singh Gazi)

About this book

In March 2026, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab Government, through its Secretary of Water Resources, sent a bill to the Government of Rajasthan demanding payment of arrears of royalty (seigniorage) for the use of Punjab's river waters.This article, written by Parmjeet Singh Gazi, former National President of the Sikh Students Federation and Editor of Sikh Siyasat, was published in the Punjabi daily Ajit on 1 and 2 April 2026. In it, the author examines the legal, historical, and political dimensions of Punjab's demand, tracing the history of the issue and highlighting the broader question of Punjab's riparian rights over its rivers. The article argues that these rights have been consistently violated through the allocation of Punjab's river waters to the non-riparian states of Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana.The author further contends that, just as the Government of India has invoked the doctrine of a "fundamental change in circumstances" to unilaterally place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, Punjab should similarly argue that the circumstances governing the allocation and distribution of its own river waters have fundamentally changed. On this basis, the state should seek a comprehensive reconsideration of the existing legal and constitutional framework governing Punjab's river waters.