Accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi of lying to the people, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said that before blaming Haryana Government, Delhi Government should first improve its water distribution system. “AAP is spreading lies and is unable to manage the water crisis in Delhi,” he said.

Notably, Delhi Water Minister Atishi has alleged that the national capital is facing a severe water crisis as the supply from Haryana has significantly dwindled, resulting in a reduction of water production by 70 million gallons per day (MGD).

Dismissing the charges of any discrimination against the national capital in terms of water supply, Saini blamed it on the ‘inept and inefficient’ AAP Government for the city’s severe water woes, for the past couple of days.

Saini, talking to journalists in Kurukshetra, said that the Haryana Government was releasing more water than earlier to mitigate water woes in the national capital but the AAP Government’s approach to the crisis has only aggravated the situation. He termed the Delhi Administration as ‘inept and inefficient’ for its failure to build a system of water distribution despite being 10 years in power.

“In the past 10 years, they didn’t build any mechanism for water distribution to city residents. Under the AAP regime, the middlemen and corrupt officials are making money. Rather than engaging in a blame-game, they should look within and reform the system,” said the CM, rejecting charges levelled by AAP leaders.

“They have cheated the people of Delhi by making false poll promises. They should focus on creating a robust system and clamp down on the rampant corruption,” Saini added.

Moreover, the Delhi Water Minister Atishi claimed that she was kept in the dark by the corrupt Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials about a ‘drop’ in the number of tankers, as compared to 2023 while Delhi BJP leaders blamed it on the collusion between ‘corrupt’ state Government officials and water tanker mafia. Atishi alleged that the city’s water production has dropped to 932 MGD due to insufficient inflow from Haryana. The water level at Wazirabad Barrage has plunged by six feet to 668.5 feet, and the water received from Munak canal has decreased to 902 cusecs, she added.

It should be mentioned here that AAP and BJP have been engaged in a war of words over Delhi’s water woes. AAP Government has accused BJP-ruled Haryana of not releasing adequate water, thus forcing it to reel under crisis. AAP’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh called it a ‘BJP-sponsored water crisis’. On the other hand, Delhi BJP leaders have mounted wide scale protests against the Delhi Government, in many areas of the capital facing severe water shortages. While the city reels under a water crisis, the role of the private tanker mafia and corrupt officials has also come into play.