NEW DELHI: Delhi Water Minister Atishi said on Friday that the Haryana government is “not releasing” the water for the city despite the Supreme Court’s orders.
Inspecting the Wazirabad barrage to check the flow of water, Atishi claimed the water level at the reservoir has come down to 669.7 feet on June 7 from 671.3 feet on June 2.
“The Supreme Court is trying to solve the water problem, is continuously hearing this matter and has ordered a meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board. It will hear the matter again on Monday. But for the last five days, when the hearing was on in the court, the Haryana government has been conspiring behind its back,” she alleged.
The minister said Delhi is dependent on the Yamuna for its entire water supply. The water that comes into the river is the same that is released from Haryana.
“The water coming into the Yamuna is supplied to the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants. If the water supply reduces, and consequently, the water in these plants reduces, when less water comes into the Yamuna from Haryana, then from where will these plants produce water? This will affect the supply and people will face problems,” she said.
Atishi’s remarks came a day after the apex court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi and asked Haryana to facilitate its flow. The court also said there should be no politics over water.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, however, accused Atishi of “lying” in an attempt to “mislead” the people of Delhi and demanded that an all-party meeting be convened on the water crisis in the national capital.
SC order
The SC has directed Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi and asked Haryana to facilitate its flow.