Delhi Minister Atishi warned of potential chaos in the capital city due to a severe water crisis, alleging that neighbouring state Haryana was withholding Delhi's rightful share of water. Atishi claimed that while the Supreme Court was working to address the issue, Haryana's actions were exacerbating the problem.
Delhi's water crisis has been ongoing for weeks, with the city's water treatment plants receiving significantly less water than usual.
"On one hand, the Supreme Court is trying to solve the water crisis in Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh is ready to give more water to Delhi. On the other hand, Haryana is blocking Delhi's share of water," Atishi told reporters.
"Under the agreement between Haryana, Delhi, and the entire Upper Yamuna region regarding water, 1050 cusecs of water come to Delhi through the Munak Canal. Two sub-canals of the Munak Canal supply water here. It is measured by the flow metre installed here. If we look at the data from the last five years, out of the 1,050 cusecs of water released by Haryana, 1000 to 980 cusecs of water reach Delhi. But for the last five days, this amount of water has been continuously decreasing. At least 1,000 cusecs of water should reach Delhi, but since June 1, it has decreased a lot. On June 7, only 840 cusecs of water reached Delhi," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister added.
"The effect of Delhi getting so little water will be felt at all seven water treatment plants, Bawana, Nangloi, Haiderpur, Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla. If water is not supplied to all seven treatment plants, then there will be chaos in the whole of Delhi. Till now, only some parts of Delhi have been affected by water, in the coming days, this problem will be seen in the whole of Delhi," said the Delhi minister.
Taking a swipe at the Haryana government, she stated, "We are standing at the entry point of water in Delhi. The flow metre here shows that there was a huge decrease in water yesterday. The Haryana government should explain that if they released all the water, then where did the water go? Out of 1050 cusecs of water, at least 1000 cusecs should have been reached. 100-150 cusecs of water cannot disappear. This means that the Haryana government is releasing less water and is deliberately trying to trouble the people of Delhi. This is also an insult to the Supreme Court."
Delhi, the world's second-most populous city, is heavily reliant on its neighbouring states for its drinking water needs. The city's water crisis has been exacerbated by the scorching heat, with temperatures reaching 50°C. The Delhi government had turned to the Supreme Court for immediate intervention, seeking directives for Haryana to release additional water to alleviate the crisis.
