Atishi: Haryana reducing water flow, conspiring against people
New Delhi: In a recent inspection at the Wazirabad barrage, Water minister Atishi accused the Haryana government of deliberately reducing the water supply to Delhi, calling it a conspiracy against the people of the national Capital.
Atishi’s inspection revealed a significant drop in the water level at Wazirabad barrage from 671.3 feet on June 2 to 669.7 feet on June 7, a decrease of 1.6 feet in just a few days.
Atishi asserted, “The Haryana government is not giving the rightful due water to
Delhi. Due to this, the water level has come down to 669.7 feet on June 7 as compared to 671.3 feet on June 2.”
She emphasised that the Supreme Court is actively trying to address Delhi’s water issues, but Haryana continues to release less water into the Yamuna.
The Supreme Court has been engaged in resolving the water dispute, ordering the Upper Yamuna River Board to convene and discuss the issue. Despite these efforts, Atishi noted, “For the last 5 days, when the hearing is going on in the Supreme Court, the Haryana government is conspiring behind the back of the Supreme Court.”
Highlighting the critical dependency of Delhi on the Yamuna for its water supply, Atishi explained, “The water that comes into the Yamuna is the same that is released from Haryana. The water coming into the Yamuna is supplied to Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water treatment plants. When the water supply itself will reduce and the water in the water treatment plant will reduce, when less water will come into the Yamuna
from Haryana, then from where will the water treatment plant produce water? This will
affect the supply and people will face problems.”
Atishi also mentioned that Himachal Pradesh is prepared to assist by providing additional water to Delhi. However, she accused Haryana of intentionally obstructing this potential solution. “Himachal Pradesh is also saying in the court that it is ready to help but the Haryana government is now hatching a conspiracy that even if Himachal Pradesh gives water, the problem of Delhiites will not be solved, that is why
Haryana is constantly stopping the water that they have to send to Wazirabad.”
The Water minister declared that the Delhi government would present this issue to the Supreme Court, expressing
hope for a favourable resolution. “We will put this entire issue before the Supreme Court and hope that Delhi will be able to get its share of water and the additional water from Himachal Pradesh without any obstruction.”
This ongoing conflict over water rights underscores the broader challenges of inter-state water management and the critical importance of ensuring equitable resource distribution, especially during peak summer months.
Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP president, Virendra Sachdeva, demanded Water minister Atishi to immediately call an all-party meeting to address the water crisis in Delhi.
He said, “How long will Atishi mislead Delhi residents about the water problem by lying.”
Virendra Sachdeva condemned Atishi for placing alleged ‘false blame’ on the Haryana government for Delhi’s water crisis. He claimed that the water crisis in Delhi was not due to a shortage of raw water or purification. He claimed the crisis could be attributed to sludge-filled storage ponds at Wazirbad, Sonia Vihar and Okhla water treatment plants along with general water theft and leakage during supply.
Virendra Sachdeva said, “In Delhi, 53 per cent of purified water is wasted due to theft or leakage.”
