Millennium Post

Hry depriving Delhi people of their rights by obstructin­g water supply, says Min Jain

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NEW DELHI: Water Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said Haryana was depriving the residents of the national Capital of their rights by obstructin­g water supply in the Yamuna river.

The minister’s remarks came as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) warned of a water crisis in large parts of the Capital and shot off another letter to the Haryana Irrigation Department, asking it to urgently release 150 cusecs of additional water in the “almost dry” Yamuna.

Water supply in the city has reduced by 6-7 per cent with the Haryana government failing to provide Delhi its share of raw water despite the Supreme Court’s order, Jain said.

“Adequate supply of water is a fundamenta­l right of the people of Delhi and the Haryana government is depriving the people of their rights by obstructin­g water supply,” he said. The minister warned that Delhi may face a “severe water shortage” if the Haryana government does not release its share of water.

In its letter to the Haryana Irrigation Department, the DJB said the water level in the Wazirabad pond has fallen to a critical low of 669 feet, the lowest so far this year, against the required level of 674.50 feet.

This is the fourth time in less than three weeks that the utility has written to the Haryana Irrigation Department.

“The (Yamuna) river has turned almost dry at the Wazirabad pond. This has reduced water production by 65 MGD (million gallons a day) at our vital water treatment plants — Wazirabad and Chandrawal ... which cater to the requiremen­t of the entire central Delhi, parts of west Delhi, north Delhi,” the letter read.

The curtailmen­t of water production has severely affected the water supply in the administra­tively sensitive areas of south Delhi and New Delhi, including diplomatic areas, President’s House, Supreme Court, High Court, embassies, other institutio­nal buildings and establishm­ents of national and internatio­nal importance, it said.

“Against Delhi’s potable water requiremen­t of 1,260 MGD, only 819 MGD was produced against the desired production of 875 MGD on May 16... as adequate raw water was not available through the river Yamuna,” the DJB said.

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