NEW DELHI: Delhi Water Minister Atishi has reached out to the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, requesting additional water supply for a month to alleviate the water crisis in the national capital.
In letters to UP CM Yogi Adityanath and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, she tried to highlight the impact of the heatwave on the city’s water supply until the monsoon arrives.
“As you must be aware, Delhi is facing one of the worst water crises this year. Unlike the previous years, demand for water has gone up by many fold. In order to tackle the existing crisis, there is urgent need to release additional water into the Yamuna river at the earliest,” Atishi wrote.
She said the water level at the Wazirabad barrage was 670.3 feet, below the normal of 674.50 feet, causing severe water shortages in many areas.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea from the Delhi government on Monday, urging Haryana to release surplus water supplied by Himachal Pradesh to mitigate the crisis. The plea emphasizes that water access is crucial for survival and a fundamental human right.
“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 plea said.
The national capital has been facing water shortage since the heatwave struck it. The crisis is more at resettlement colonies were many still rely on water tanker service for there day to day needs.