11-BOOK REVIEW:TROUBLED WATERS OF PUNJAB Part 3.
 BY VIJEPAL SINGH MANN (2003)[112P] ISBN:81-7764-376-2
BOOK REVIEW: KAVNEET SINGH              
V.S.Mann a hydro engineer has written a very concise book on a vast and important subject of the Punjab economy.
Chapter 1…….
_No major changes occurred in the canal system up to partition. This directly resulted in_ _the sharing of water being given two colors, one purely economic, and the other, purely_ _political……[Page 2]_
Right from partition the waters of Punjab were usurped and directly controlled by the Central government to the detriment of the poor farmers.
Chapter 2……
_In the 70/71 census, the average land holding in Punjab was only 2.10 hectares or 5_ _acres…….[Page 7]_
With such tiny land holding farmers can barely eek out a living and given a further blow by taking away their rights to the normal water resources which lie within the state.
Chapter 3……
_Punjab constitutes only 1.5% of the total area of the country. The total area of Punjab is_ _12,500,000. acres…..area under cultivation 10,500,000 acres (84%)….Almost 75% of the_ _2.42 Crore people in Punjab are living in rural areas…..the food_ _grain production is 11-_
_12% of the total food grain production of the country……[Page 9-11]_
With 84% of all land under cultivation and 75% of the population involved in agriculture, the net income of Rs.30,000 annually works out to Rs.2,500 a month [$50]. The minimum wage in India as of late 2008 is now Rs.100 per day. It is better to be a day laborer than a farmer killing yourself for nothing. No wonder there have been over 35,000 suicides by farmers 1997-2008 in Punjab while the media barely pays any attention.
Chapter 4……
_This means that every cusec of water generates 33 lakh rupees_ _of money every year. As_ _income….What about the water that flows into other states at the cost of Punjab?...[Page_ _14]_
I wonder who is responsible for the wasted water and the cost of water flowing into the other states, which really are at the cost of Punjab’s economy.