A day after Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Raghav Chadha claimed Haryana has reduced water supply to the national capital, causing a crisis, the Manohar Lal Khattar Government on Sunday hit back saying that the Delhi Government is making false political rhetoric to hide its failure.
“Haryana is continuously providing 1049 cusecs of water at Munak through its canal system to Delhi, the quantity of which is 950 cusecs of water at Bawana contact point. People of Delhi are facing scarcity of water as there is less water in the Yamuna due to delay in monsoon and due to poor system of water management in Delhi.The truth is that in spite of 40 percent less water in the Yamuna, Delhi has been given its share of water,” said an official spokesman of Haryana Government.
He said that according to the report of the Economic Survey 2017 of the Delhi Government, 20 percent of the drinking water in Delhi is wasted due to mismanagement of drinking water. According to experts, the amount of drinking water that is wasted is more than 30 percent.
It is a matter of great regret that the Haryana Government is facing the criticism of the Delhi Government despite making positive efforts and following the orders of the Supreme Court, the spokesman said.
He further said that Delhi has a share of 719 cusecs of water at Munak from Yamuna and Ravi Beas waters. In addition to it, 330 cusecs extra Yamuna water is being released by Haryana at Munak, as per compliance of Supreme Court orders pronounced on February 29, 1996.
The Upper Yamuna River Board in its 52nd and 54th meetings has already verified this position. In the month of May this year, Delhi filed a Civil Writ Petition before the Supreme Court, on the ground that Haryana is not providing its full share of water to Delhi. This petition was disposed off by the Court, on the basis of the report of the Committee chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Similar petitions filed by Delhi in previous years were also disposed of by the Supreme Court, the spokesman added.
He said that shortage of water in Delhi is totally internal mismanagement of Delhi and Haryana has no role in it. Due to the delayed monsoon, Haryana is also facing water scarcity but we are still maintaining water supply to Delhi without any reduction, the spokesman said.
Notably, DJB vice chairman and Aam Aadmi party MLA Raghav Chadha took to Twitter on Sunday to announce the board’s decision to move the Supreme Court against the Haryana Government for withholding Delhi’s share of water. Chadha said that water levels in the Yamuna river were at an “all-time low”, as Haryana is not releasing Delhi’s “legitimate share” as per a 1995 ruling of the Supreme Court.