NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday, June 3, the Delhi government's plea seeking direction to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments for supplying more water to the national capital keeping in view the severe water woes faced by it.
As per the cause list reflected in the apex court website, a two-judge vacation bench led by Justice P K Mishra and Justice K V Viswanathan is likely to hear the matter on June 3.
Water Minister of Delhi, Atishi filed the petition before the apex court contending that the filing of “this petition has been necessitated by an acute heat wave and an issuance of a red alert in the national capital, with temperatures soaring to a record-breaking high of 52.9 degrees Celsius.”
The Delhi government had made the Centre, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as parties to the case filed by it in the top court.
As per many reports, many areas in Delhi including Chanakyapuri's Sanjay Camp, Geeta colony in East Delhi, Patel Nagar, various North and South Delhi parts, Mehrauli and Chhatarpur and others face acute water shortage.
"Delhi's need for water has increased in the scorching heat. It is everyone's responsibility to fulfil the needs of the country's capital," Delhi government pointed out in its petition.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged the BJP to ask its governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to provide water to the national capital for a month.
The government has also ordered a penalty of Rs 2,000 on wastage of water and has formed 200 teams to look out for the defaulters.
The temperatures in Delhi almost touched 50 degrees Celsius and people are unable to get any relief so far, as the South West monsoon is to hit Delhi not likely before June 20-25.
The petition by Delhi government also added that an unprecedented surge in temperature has triggered extraordinary and excessive demand for water, which is not being met by supply from neighboring states, thereby precipitating a full-fledged water and sanitation crisis.
Since Himachal Pradesh does not share a physical boundary with Delhi, this water needs to be released to the national capital through Wazirabad barrage, which is located in Delhi, the plea said.
“Access to water is one of the basic human rights of an individual. Not only is water essential for sustenance, but access to water also forms an essential component of the guarantee of dignity and a quality of life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The current water crisis, which may only get worse given peak summers and ongoing water shortage, violates the right to a dignified and quality life of the people of the NCT of Delhi, who are unable to access even adequate clean drinking water,” the Delhi government said in its petition before the Supreme Court.
The Kejriwal government further argued in its petition before the top court that “Due to this increased demand, which will continue till the end of June, which is when the monsoon begins in the NCT, the water levels of the Wazirabad barrage have been critically reduced, which has resulted in water shortage, putting the health and well-being of the 25 million residents of the NCT of Delhi at grave risk.”
The plea said that the Petitioner (Delhi) Govt has already devised a solution to meet the increased demand for water in the national capital — the State of Himachal Pradesh, Respondent No. 2, has agreed to share its surplus water with Delhi, as per a pre-existing MOU signed in 2019."