Recently the Union Government started looking at ways to make the Yamuna navigable, but that seems impossible as there just isn’t enough water in the river. Officials in Haryana and Delhi say supply from Yamuna waters has not been augmented since 1994, when a memorandum of understanding was signed by Delhi and neighbouring States to share the resource.
Every summer the Capital seems to dry up with Delhiites complaining of erratic and at times no water supply. And every year the authorities make assurances to shore up supply.
To make matters worse, water from the Munak Canal has also been held up as the Delhi and Haryana governments can’t see eye-to-eye on who gets what.
And, according to both Delhi and Haryana officials, the only long-term solution to the NCR’s water shortage are three proposed storage dams at Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar-Vyasi in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. These have been pending for the past 20 years because of protests by locals and the lack of environmental clearances. “If commissioned, these storage dams could wipe out all the fights over water in the region. We are hoping the new government at the Centre can clear the projects,” said a Delhi Jal Board source.
Officials have now pinned their hopes on the Narendra Modi Government to resolve the Munak Canal dispute, which was earlier being heard by a Group of Ministers that has since been disbanded.
A Supreme Court order on February 29, 1996, had said Haryana would have to keep the DJB’s treatment plants at Haiderpur and Wazirabad full at all times so Delhi’s drinking water needs could be met. “We are still fighting this unfair order. It says we have to keep these plants full regardless of Delhi’s share of Yamuna waters as per the MoU of 1994,” a Haryana Government official said.
The official explained that Delhi’s share of water from the Yamuna and from the Ravi-Beas rivers through the Bhakra dam is carried by Haryana’s canal system and meets at Munak. The official said the total share of Delhi at Munak is 610 cusecs after en route losses.
After the 1996 apex court order, Delhi had asked Haryana to construct a carrier lined channel (CLC) to carry its share of water from Munak to Delhi. The existing kuccha (un-lined) canal on the same route leads to 30 per cent losses, while the new Munak canal would cut this down to 5 per cent. This would lead to a saving of 152 cusecs or 80 MGD, the Haryana official said.
The dispute between the two States is over this 80 MGD, with Delhi staking claim on it and Haryana saying it is already giving Delhi more than what is due.
“Delhi’s share is 371 cusecs at Bhakra and 330 at Tajewala in Yamuna waters. But the combined capacity of the two DJB plants is 845 cusecs. We are already giving Delhi more than its share so where are the savings? Munak is a non-issue for us,” said the Haryana official.
The DJB, however, refutes this. A senior official said: “The Haryana Government had agreed to this in its project proposal, but then went back on its commitment.”
Delhi and Haryana may not agree on the genesis of the problem, but it seems officials on both sides are looking to the Centre to solve the issue.
