NEW DELHI: Amid rising temperatures and soaring water demand in Delhi, a fresh political row has erupted between the BJP-led Delhi government and the AAP-ruled Punjab over alleged disruptions in water supply. While Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma accused Punjab of halting water flow to the capital, the Delhi Jal Board maintained that the water supply remains unaffected.
“The Punjab government has resorted to dirty politics by stopping the water supply to Haryana and Delhi. After losing in Delhi, now they want to create water crisis in Delhi,” Verma said. “We are working day and night to provide clean water to every household in Delhi and now the Punjab government wants to take revenge on the people of Delhi in this way. Stop this dirty politics or else you will be expelled from Punjab as well,”he added.
This exchange adds a new layer to the ongoing war of words between Punjab and Haryana over river water sharing. The conflict intensified following Delhi’s allegations and earlier claims by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who had accused the BJP of influencing the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to favour Haryana.
However, the DJB has dismissed any immediate concerns about water availability in the capital. “As of now, the raw water supply is maintained at normal,” a DJB official said. The official explained that some raw water reaching Delhi comes via the Narwana canal from the Bhakra Nangal Dam, which regulates supply to several northern states, including Delhi. This water is then routed through the Munak canal, originating in Haryana and terminating in Haiderpur, Delhi.
Despite Punjab having no direct geographical connection to the Yamuna, since the river originates in Uttarakhand and flows to UP, the political tension has brought water-sharing mechanisms under scrutiny.