Water supply: SC summons Delhi, Haryana Chief Secretaries

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the presence of the Chief Secretaries of Delhi and Haryana on April 23, after it was told by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) that it has not been receiving sufficient water from Haryana.

Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta, taking note of the DJB’s submission that Haryana had reduced the Yamuna water supply to Delhi leading to a severe water crisis in the capital, asked the Chief Secretaries of both states to be present before it on Monday.

The bench observed that people were dying but state authorise were not showing any urgency on the issue.

With Delhi facing a water shortage, the DJB earlier moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Haryana to release adequate water to the Wazirabad reservoir, alleging that one-third of the Yamuna water supply had been reduced.

The petition filed in the apex court sought instructions to Haryana to supply 450 cusecs of potable water daily to Delhi as agreed upon between the states.

Haryana was supplying to Delhi only 330 cusecs of water daily as against 450 cusec per day, the DJB petition said.

“Delhi is in the midst of an acute water crisis owing to stopping of supply of water by Haryana in the Yamuna, which is meant for drinking purposes in Delhi,” the plea stated.

The DJB’s water treatment plants have been functioning below their capacities over the past few weeks due to drop in the level of Yamuna water and release of polluted water from Haryana that could not be treated, it added.

Yamuna water sharing between Delhi and Haryana has been a contentious issue for decades and the apex court had ordered Haryana to release 450 cusecs of water daily to Delhi in February 1996.

IANS