MillenniumPost
Delhi

Water shortage: Hry CM 'deliberately troubling' people of Delhi, says DJB V-C

New Delhi: Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairman Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday alleged that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is deliberately troubling the people in the Capital by obstructing water supply in the Yamuna and said he will have to bear the consequences for this.

Delhi is still short of 65 million gallons a day of water. This has impacted supply in north, northwest, south and central Delhi, besides areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council, he said at a press conference.

"We have been talking to the officials of the Haryana government, but I think Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is deliberately creating such a situation. This shows what his intentions are," Bharadwaj said.

"Haryana has been releasing less water in the Yamuna and the river has dried up. Khattar would have tried resolving the issue if he had the right intentions. It shows that he is deliberately troubling the people of Delhi," he added. Bharadwaj said Khattar will have to bear the repercussions as a large number of people from Haryana living and working in Delhi are grappling with a shortage of water.

Khattar had on Tuesday accused the AAP government in Delhi of politicising the matter and presenting false data.

"It is unfortunate that they are telling lies, doing politics on the issue and presenting false figures. The fact is that they are being given water as per their share. They are being given 1,050 cusecs of water," the Haryana CM had said.

Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain had on Tuesday said water supply in the city has reduced by 6-7 percent with the Haryana government failing to provide Delhi its share of raw water despite the Supreme Court's order.

"Adequate supply of water is a fundamental right of the people of Delhi and the Haryana government is depriving the people of their rights by obstructing water supply," he had said.

The DJB on Tuesday shot off another letter to the Haryana Irrigation Department, asking it to urgently release 150 cusecs of additional water in the "almost dry" Yamuna.

This was the fourth time in less than three weeks that the utility has written to the Haryana Irrigation Department.

The water level in the Wazirabad pond has fallen to a critical low of 669 feet, the lowest so far this year, against the required level of 674.50 feet, it said.

"The (Yamuna) river has turned almost dry at the Wazirabad pond. This has reduced water production by 65 MGD (million gallons a day) at our vital water treatment plants — Wazirabad and Chandrawal ... which cater to the requirement of the entire central Delhi, parts of west Delhi, north Delhi," the letter read.

Next Story
Share it