Major crisis imminent if adequate water not released: Min
New Delhi: Delhi Water minister Atishi Sunday wrote to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, requesting him to ensure 1,050 cusecs water is released from the Munak Canal for the national Capital, otherwise “Delhi will have a major crisis in next 1-2 days”.
In the communication, she said seven Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in Delhi are dependent on supply from Yamuna and “due to the deficit of raw water, our water treatment plants are unable to run at their optimum capacity.”
Delhi is supposed to receive around 1,050 cusec water at Munak, but the supply has reduced, she said.
“With the water from Munak Canal reducing to 840 cusecs, Delhi will be unable to produce adequate water from our seven WTPs.”
“If Haryana doesn’t release the adequate amount of water by today, Delhi will have a major crisis in next 1-2 days. Therefore, I humbly request you to ensure that 1,050 cusecs water is released from Munak Canal for Delhi,” she added.
According to the agreement in the the 53rd meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board, which was convened on May 2018, around 1,050 cusecs (i.e. 568 MGD) was allocated to Delhi at Munak through career lined channel (CLC) canal and Delhi Sub Branch (DSB) Canals, she said.
“Considering the transmission loss, the allocation of 1050 Cusec at Munak corresponds to about 1,013 Cusec (i.e. 548 MGD). This is measured by Delhi at the Bawana contact point, where the water enters Delhi, where flow meters have been installed by Delhi. These flow meters have been checked by representatives of the Upper Yamuna River Board, last week itself,” she said.
On an average, the water received at the Bawana contact point even in the summers is between 980 and 1030 cusecs, she said, adding there has been a drastic reduction in this.
“As you are aware, Delhi is dependent on water from Yamuna for our day-to-day needs. However, for the past few days, Haryana has not been releasing adequate amount of water in the Munak Canal. As a result of this, the people living in the national capital have been suffering unjustifiably,” read the letter.
“Lying is in their DNA,” Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit out at the AAP government in Delhi over its allegation.
Saini maintained that Haryana was releasing water to the national Capital over and above the agreed-upon quantity and his party, the BJP, blamed the AAP government for the water crisis in Delhi.
The ruling BJP in Haryana also claimed that the state was supplying 1,049 cusecs of water from the Yamuna to Delhi.
The Delhi government has during the past fortnight repeatedly accused Haryana of not releasing the national Capital’s share of water.
Asked by reporters about the real situation given the AAP dispensation’s accusation, Saini alleged, “Lying is in their DNA. If you look at their DNA, they cannot live without lying. They work by relying on lies.”
He added that the AAP government had raised the issue earlier as well but it was found that Haryana was giving water as per the agreement.
Saini asserted that as per the Supreme Court’s direction, Haryana now will release to the national capital all the water it receives from neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.
The apex court on Thursday directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water available with it for Delhi and asked Haryana to facilitate the flow of this water so that it reaches the national capital.
Saini said AAP is in power in Punjab as well and the Delhi government should ask the government in Punjab to give SYL canal water so that Haryana’s shortage is overcome and the national capital too gets more water.
On the apex court directions to Haryana to facilitate the flow of surplus water released by Himachal Pradesh, Saini said, “People of Delhi are our own, they should not face any problem.”
“We are giving over and above the agreed-upon quantity,” he added.
Hitting out at AAP, Saini said, “But they tell lies to the media that Haryana is not giving water. Why will we do so?”
Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad, while replying to a question by reporters on water from Himachal which is to be given to Delhi, said, “I contacted the chief secretary of HP yesterday and told him that their additional chief secretary of irrigation should coordinate with his Haryana counterpart on the issue.”
On whether Himachal Pradesh has released water or not, he said, “I am not saying whether water has come or not. I don’t have any knowledge of that, but I will have to check it”.
Several Haryana ministers have recently hit out at the Kejriwal government, blaming its “mismanagement” for Delhi’s water crisis and said it has become a habit of the AAP dispensation to blame Haryana on every issue.
