SC allows DJB plea on Haryana reducing water supply to Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear next Monday (April 2) a petition filed by Delhi government seeking a direction to Haryana to supply 450 cusecs of potable water daily to Wazirabad barrage for supply to Delhi to overcome an impending "water crisis" in the national Capital.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said it will hear the matter on April 2. The counsel for the DJB said the Wazirabad water plant was supposed to get 450 cusesc of water daily, but nowadays it is receiving only 330 cusec per day.

The Delhi high court had recently told the Haryana government that it has to stick to its 2014 direction specifying the amount of water to be released to Delhi every day.

"Delhi is in the midst of an acute water crisis owing to stopping of supply of water by Haryana in the Yamuna, which is meant for drinking purposes in Delhi. It is most respectfully submitted that Haryana is defying the directions of this court to supply drinking water at Wazirabad reservoir and is taking undue advantage of being an upper riparian state," says the petition filed by Delhi Jal Board.

The petition added that "It has converted the river leading to Delhi into a dry river having virtually no water at Delhi and resultantly stoppage of supply meant for drinking water for treatment at Wazirabad reservoir. Otherwise, the coming summer in Delhi is going to see a huge water crisis."

The DJB's water treatment plants have been functioning at below capacity or not at all over the past few weeks due to drop in the level of Yamuna water and release of polluted water from Haryana that cannot be treated. As a result, the DJB has been rationing supply, which affected large parts of the city.

With the city facing water shortage, the Delhi Jal Board moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Haryana to release adequate water for Wazirabad barrage. Last week in a gathering outside the Haryana Bhavan in Delhi, AAP MLAs staged a protest over alleged non-sharing of water. The party claimed that exploiting its position as an upper-riparian state, Haryana was effectively choking the capital's water supply, with its impact being felt most in south and central Delhi.