Delhi minister Atishi on Friday said the city’s water crisis will not be solved even if Himachal Pradesh releases water for it as Haryana has “reduced” its share.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, however, accused Atishi of “lying” in an attempt to “mislead” the people of Delhi people and demanded that an all-party meeting be convened on the water crisis in the national capital.
Atishi inspected the Wazirabad barrage earlier in the day and accused the Haryana government of “conspiring” against the people of Delhi by continuously stopping the capital’s share of water and releasing less water into the Yamuna, even as the Supreme Court is trying to solve the crisis.
During the inspection, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said Haryana is not giving Delhi its rightful share of water and due to this, the water level has come down to 669.7 feet on June 7 from 671.3 feet on June 2.
“The Supreme Court is trying to solve the water problem. It is continuously hearing this matter and has ordered a meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board. It will hear the matter again on Monday. But for the last five days, when the hearing was on in the court, the Haryana government has been conspiring behind its back,” she alleged.
Atishi’s remarks came a day after the apex court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi and asked Haryana to facilitate its flow. The top court also said there should be no politics over water.
The minister said Delhi is dependent on the Yamuna for its entire water supply. The water that comes into the river is the same that is released from Haryana.
“The water coming into the Yamuna is supplied to the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants. If the water supply reduces and consequently, the water in these plants reduces, when less water comes into the Yamuna from Haryana, then from where will these plants produce water? This will affect the supply and people will face problems,” she said.
“Himachal Pradesh is telling the court that it is ready to help, but the Haryana government is now hatching a conspiracy that even if Himachal Pradesh gives water, the problem of Delhiites will not be solved and that is why Haryana is constantly stopping the water that it has to send to Wazirabad,” the minister alleged.
She said the issue would be brought before the top court and hoped that the capital would get its share of water and the additional water from Himachal Pradesh without any obstruction.
Sachdeva, however, said the water problem in Delhi is not because of a lack of raw water but because of the silt-laden storage ponds at the Wazirabad, Sonia Vihar, and Okhla water treatment plants and due to water theft and wastage.
“How long will Atishi mislead Delhi residents about the water problem by lying? In Delhi, 53 per cent of purified water is wasted due to theft or leakage,” the Delhi BJP chief said.
Delhi has been grappling with a water crisis this summer. The city residents are facing daily struggles to secure enough water for their basic needs, relying heavily on tankers, which often leads to disputes over access to water.
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