Water treated and supplied across the city is down by about 6-7% as the Haryana Government is failing to provide Delhi its share of raw water despite the Supreme Court’s order, Water Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.
He warned that Delhi may face a “severe water shortage” if the Haryana government does not release Delhi’s share of water, adding that the Haryana Government is depriving Delhi’s people of their fundamental right to adequate water supply by obstructing water supply.
The Delhi Jal Board has written to the Haryana government, urging them to release an additional 150 cusec of water into the Yamuna river till monsoon arrives.
The water production in Delhi was only 819 MGD (million gallons per day) on Monday against a requirement of 1260 MGD — a shortfall of about 35% — according to official data.
Mr. Jain inspected the Wazirabad Barrage and expressed concern over inadequate production of water from Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants (WTP).
“This insufficient supply is affecting the Wazirabad water treatment plant, which supplies water to the bulk of houses in north and west Delhi. The water that enters the WTP comes directly from the Yamuna and is subsequently treated before being distributed to Delhi residents. Normally, the Yamuna is totally full, but it is currently dry due to the Haryana government’s refusal to supply water,” the Minister said.
Owing to the scarcity, water supply has been affected in Civil Lines, Hindu Rao Hospital, Kamla Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, Old and New Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Baljit Nagar, Indrapuri, and the surrounding areas, the government said.
The Minister said the Delhi government has appealed to the Haryana government to come here and assess the state of the Yamuna. “We are not expecting the Haryana government to provide water in proportion to the 2022 population of Delhi, but at the very least they need to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling,” he added.
The Haryana government should provide water on a humanitarian basis so that the people of Delhi have adequate drinking water in this hot weather, Mr. Jain said.
