NEW DELHI : In the wake of the National Capital grappling with acute water shortage, Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Sunday sought an emergency meeting with Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena to apprise him of the acute water shortage arising out of inadequate water being released by neighbouring Haryana.
Delhi is supposed to receive 1,050 cusecs of water from the Munak Canal via the CLC and DSB sub-canals. However, this has reduced to 840 cusecs. Seven Water Treatment Plants are dependent on this water. In case Haryana fails to release more water, the situation across the capital will worsen in a day or two, the Minister said, adding that since the L-G is the Centre’s representative, she will seek his intervention to resolve the matter.
Responding to the request, the L-G office informed that Saxena will meet Atishi at 11 am on Monday. In the interim, he asked officials to ascertain the actual position of water released by Himachal and Haryana, measures to check wastage & leakage of water in Delhi & the status of desilting of Wazirabad reservoir, as directed by Supreme Court.
On Saturday, the Delhi Minister alleged that amid scorching heat, the Haryana government is releasing less water for the city’s share in the Munak Canal after Wazirabad.
The Delhi government had said that to assess this, two sub-canals of the Munak Canal in Bawana were visited through which Haryana gives its share of water from the Munak Canal to Delhi.
During the inspection, Atishi found that for the last seven days, Haryana has not released enough water here. It was further said that normally, Haryana sends 1,050 cusecs of water to Delhi through the Munak Canal every day, but now its quantity has fallen down to 840 cusecs. Sharing this conspiracy of the Haryana government doing dirty politics on water through a press conference, Atishi said that Delhi should get 1050 cusecs of water from Haryana daily through the Munak Canal, but only 840 cusecs of water is reaching Delhi.
The minister said that if Delhi gets less water than its due share from the Munak Canal, it will affect all the seven water treatment plants of Delhi and water production will decrease.