Calling the allegation of poisoning Yamuna water made by Arvind Kejriwal against his government a political stunt, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), through such statements, aims to influence voters in the wake of the Delhi Assembly elections and deflect the attention of the people from its failures.
Stating that the issue has been raised with the Election Commission, the chief minister said ensuring reliable water supply to the national capital is a collective responsibility and that Haryana is fulfilling it diligently without any shortcomings.
In a statement, Saini said that ensuring a reliable water supply to the national capital is a collective responsibility, which Haryana is fulfilling diligently and without any shortcomings.
Exposing the failure of the Delhi government, the Chief Minister said that in 2021, Delhi filed a petition, to which the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) responded. The CPCB’s reply highlighted the issue of ammonia nitrogen in the Wazirabad pond and mentioned that there is a water treatment plant in Agra capable of treating water with ammonia levels up to 24 mg/l. However, the Delhi government has not taken any steps to upgrade the Wazirabad plant. As a result, the people of Delhi are still forced to consume contaminated water, while Arvind Kejriwal is now blaming Haryana to cover up his own failures.
Saini said that the people of Haryana regard the Yamuna River as their mother and Yamuna is a life-giving resource for both Haryana and Delhi, and it is our collective responsibility to preserve its purity. He stated that Kejriwal's accusations are not only baseless but also disrespectful to Haryana’s cultural traditions and beliefs.
He said that Delhi receives its drinking water supply of 1049 cusecs at Munak from the waters of the Yamuna and Ravi-Beas rivers. Haryana is consistently supplying this water to Delhi through two canals: the Carrier Line Channel (CLC) and the Delhi Branch. Since the commissioning of the Carrier Line Channel in 2014, Haryana has not supplied any water to Delhi through drains or directly from the Yamuna River; instead, clean water is being supplied exclusively through the canal system of CLC and Delhi Branch. He further assured that the Haryana Government is committed to ensuring the purity and continuous supply of water to Delhi.
The Chief Minister informed that between January 7 and January 13, 2021, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) tested the water from Yamunanagar (Haryana) to Wazirabad (Delhi) and investigated the primary causes of pollution. The investigation revealed that dirty water is being illegally discharged between Palla and Wazirabad. In addition, the accumulation of sediment in the Wazirabad pond is causing an increase in ammonia nitrogen levels. However, the Delhi government has not taken any action on the CPCB’s report since 2021. Neither has the illegal discharge of polluted water between Palla and Wazirabad been halted, nor has any effort been made to clean the Wazirabad pond.