The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Upper Yamuna River Board to convene an emergency meeting on June 5, bringing together all stakeholders to find solutions to the acute water shortage faced by the residents of Delhi.
The court also scheduled a hearing on June 6 to address the plea filed by the Delhi government, seeking additional water from neighbouring Haryana.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Vishwanathan heard the Delhi government’s plea, which sought immediate release of water to the crisis-hit national capital.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government and the state of Haryana, presented figures indicating that out of every 100 litres of water supplied to Delhi, residents receive only 48.6 litres.
“Total water loss is 52.35 per cent. Industry, tanker mafia, etc are responsible for water loss. Delhi government has to tighten up its leakages. They will have to do something for this,” said Mehta.
At this, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Delhi government, retorted, “They will do everything but not release water.”
Himachal Pradesh told the top court that it is ready to give its excess water to Delhi through canals bringing water to the city through Haryana.
The bench took note of the positions of all parties involved, including Haryana and stressed the importance of a non-adversarial approach to resolving the water crisis faced by Delhi residents.
The Delhi government moved the Supreme Court on Friday, urgently seeking directions to Haryana for the release of surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh. The parched national capital has been grappling with water scarcity exacerbated by a scorching heatwave.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has accused Haryana of withholding Delhi’s rightful share of water.
The BJP regime in Haryana has countered, blaming the AAP for the water crisis in Delhi. They stated that Haryana is supplying Delhi with 1,049 cusecs of water from the Yamuna, exceeding the agreed-upon quantity.
Delhi Water Minister Atishi, in a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, had highlighted the drastic decline in water levels at the Wazirabad barrage due to what she alleged was Haryana’s failure to release the required quantity into the Yamuna.
