The water crisis in Delhi continues to hit headlines with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government there asking police protection for major pipelines for the next 15 days.
The AAP government of Delhi has been blaming Haryana for not releasing enough water to the national capital, a charge denied by the latter.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Sunday staged a protest against the AAP government of Delhi over the water crisis. A Delhi Jal Board (DJB) office in Delhi was also vandalised on Sunday.
Delhi Water Crisis | Latest Updates
Police Protection For Pipelines Sought: Delhi Water minister Atishi on Sunday wrote to Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora requesting deployment of personnel for patrolling and protecting major pipelines for next 15 days, as the national capital reeled under a water crisis. In her letter, the minister said Delhi is reeling under a severe heat wave and a water crisis. "Due to shortage of water being received in the Yamuna, water production has fallen by around 70 MGD and many parts of Delhi are experiencing water shortage. In this situation, every drop of water becomes precious," the letter said.
BJP Holds Protest: The BJP on Sunday staged a protest against the AAP government of Delhi over the water crisis. Launching an attack on the AAP, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said that Delhi Jal Board was in a profit of crores of rupees when Arvind Kejriwal became the chief minister. "He was given charge of the DJB as chairman for over one year. It is strange that audit report of that more than one year is missing and the DJB is in a huge debt," news agency PTI quoted Sachdeva as saying. Sachdeva alleged that all AAP ministers are stealing water and running tanker mafia in Delhi.
ALSO READ | Water Crisis: AAP Minister Alleges Haryana Is 'Blocking Delhi's Share'
Delhi Jal Board Office Vandalised: A Delhi Jal Board office was seen being vandalised by some BJP workers in Chhatarpur area on Sunday. BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri said, "The people can do anything when they are angry. I am grateful to the BJP workers who controlled the people. It is the government's and people's property. There is no benefit in damaging this property. I appeal to people to not vandalise the public property..."
Delhi Govt's 'Humanitarian Ground' Appeal To Haryana: Given the water shortage in Delhi, the government there on Saturday appealed to Haryana to discharge additional water into the Yamuna on humanitarian grounds. Delhi's water minister Atishi told a press conference that the capital is facing a shortage of 70 million gallons per day (MGD) in production due to lack of raw water in the Munak canal and Wazirabad reservoir. "The Delhi government has appealed to Haryana to release additional water for the people of the city on humanitarian grounds," the minister said and added that issues related to share of Yamuna water can be discussed after heatwave conditions abate.
ALSO READ | Delhi Water Crisis: Himachal Govt Says No Surplus Water To Spare, Backtracks From Statement
Water Tankers In Delhi: In a meeting with Delhi Jal Board officials on Saturday, it was decided that an assessment be done of areas not getting any water and the number of water tankers be increased, Atishi said. Currently, DJB tankers are making around 10,000 trips in water scarce areas supplying 10 MGD of water per day. In some other areas like Bawana, Dwarka and Nangloi, emergency tube wells have been started to provide water to the residents, she said.
Himachal Govt's U-Turn: In an about turn, the Himachal Pradesh government told the Supreme Court on Thursday that it does not have a surplus 136 cusecs of water and withdrew its earlier statement. The top court had earlier directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 136 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi amid shortage and asked Haryana to facilitate its flow. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday had said the state released water for Delhi, but it has to go to the national capital through Haryana.
