- By Akanksha Verma
- Sun, 09 Jun 2024 12:55 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi Water Minister Atishi has sought an emergency meeting with Lt Governor VK Saxena as the national capital reels under water crisis amid the ongoing heatwave. The AAP leader will raise the issue of "inadequate" water being released from the Munak Canal by the Haryana government. Sounding an alarm that the current situation may worsen in the next two days if adequate water is not released, Atishi said the AAP government will request the LG to intervene.
"Have sought time from the Hon'ble @LtGovDelhi for an emergency meeting, to apprise him of the inadequate water being released by Haryana from the Munak Canal," Atishi posted on X.
The Delhi water minister said Haryana has reduced the supply from the Munak Canal to 840 cusecs of water, as opposed to the alloted 1050 cusecs. "7 Water Treatment Plants are dependent on this water. If the amount of water does not increase today, then the water situation across Delhi will worsen in 1-2 days. Hon'ble @LtGovDelhi is the representative of the Central Govt. Will be requesting him to intervene and resolve the situation," she said.
Delhi is currently facing a severe water crisis with residents having to stand in long queues around tankers to collect water for their daily use as piped water supply faces disruptions.
Delhi government has alleged that the Haryana government is "blocking" its share of water despite orders from the Supreme Court. The apex court on Thursday directed the Haryana government to supply 137 cusecs of surplus water it will receive from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi. It asked Haryana to facilitate uninterrupted flow from Hathnikund barrage to Wazirabad in Delhi.
"On one hand, the Supreme Court is trying to solve the water crisis in Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh is ready to give more water to Delhi. On the other hand, Haryana is blocking Delhi's share of water," Atishi, Delhi Minister, said while speaking to reporters in Delhi on Saturday.
"Under the agreement between Haryana, Delhi, and the entire Upper Yamuna region regarding water, 1050 cusecs of water come to Delhi through the Munak Canal. Two sub-canals of the Munak Canal supply water here. It is measured by the flow meter installed here. If we look at the data from the last five years, out of the 1,050 cusecs of water released by Haryana, 1000 to 980 cusecs of water reach Delhi. But for the last five days, this amount of water has been continuously decreasing. At least 1,000 cusecs of water should reach Delhi, but since June 1, it has decreased a lot. On June 7, only 840 cusecs of water reached Delhi," she added.
The record-high temperatures and heatwave in Delhi, which has resulted in maximum temperatures rising to around 50 degrees Celsius in some places, have caused an extraordinary and excessive surge in water demand in the city.
