With Delhi facing water crisis, Kejriwal govt moves Supreme Court against Haryana

With the arrival of the summer peak, the water crisis in Delhi has deepened. The Kejriwal government has alleged that the Haryana government has reduced the flow of water in the Yamuna, leading to a water crisis in the national capital.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Deputy Chairman of Delhi Jal Board Raghav Chadha said that for the first time after 1965, the water level of Yamuna has decreased so much. Due to this, the production of 100 MGD of water is being affected daily in Delhi. He said that due to the non-release of water from Haryana, the water level of Yamuna has come down to 7.5 feet.

Chadha demanded that the Khattar government should provide water to the people of Delhi as per the 1995 order of the Supreme Court. Delhi should get 120 MGD of water daily. He said that if the Khattar government does not release the water of the people of Delhi, a big crisis will arise in the city.

He said that the pond level near Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant is required to be 674.5 feet, which has now come down to 667.8 feet. Due to this, the water crisis has arisen in Central Delhi, West Delhi, and South Delhi. This area includes PM residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Supreme Court, and international embassy.

Raghav Chadha said that water tankers are being diverted from areas where there is no shortage of water to those facing shortages. Engineers and helpline centers of Delhi Jal Board are working on a war footing to overcome the water crisis. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court demanding the Haryana government to give water to Delhi.

The AAP leader also visited the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant on Monday. Along with this, he took stock of water in the Yamuna. Raghav Chadha said that the Yamuna river has dried up so much that the riverbed is visible. The water is so low that now the boat cannot be sailed.

Raghav Chadha said, "We are not asking for water from Haryana according to the population of the year 2021, but what the Supreme Court has decided in the order of the year 1995, at least give that water to us." He said that DJB has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of its order given in 1995.

On the other, the Haryana government has defended itself, saying that it file its response in court. "Arvind Kejriwal has done PhD in lying. First, he showed fake data to get excessive medical O2 & now he's falsely accusing us to hide his failure of not being able to provide water to Delhiites. It's his right to approach court, we'll reply in court," Haryana Health Min Anil Vij was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.