Relief for Delhi as Haryana starts releasing water

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 17

After days of water crisis and hectic parleys between Delhi and Haryana officials to resolve the issue, the city on Wednesday heaved a sigh of relief after the Haryana Government released more water into the Yamuna.

Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Haryana has started releasing water and production is likely to be normal by tomorrow morning and distribution by the evening. “We are constantly monitoring the situation,” he said.

Early, a senior official said the situation is likely to improve gradually by tomorrow as almost 200 cusecs of water has been released by Haryana from Munak canal through DD-8 in the river course.

It is expected that the pond level of Wazirabad will improve sufficiently by the morning tomorrow to start the production at 100 per cent installed capacity in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla plants.

However, water distribution situation will normalise only by Friday morning as it takes a whole day for the plants to operate at full capacity and fill all underground reservoirs in the command areas of these plants.

The development came a day after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia threatened moving the court against Haryana for withholding Delhi’s legal share of water and sought the intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

In this regard, Sisodia yesterday met Lt Governor Anil Baijal apprising him about how reduced water supply by Haryana over the last couple of days had led to a severe water shortage in several areas in Central and North Delhi.

The AAP minister had also asked Baijal to ask the PMO to intervene ensuring that the neighbouring northern state releases the city’s rightful share of water as mandated by the Supreme Court.

Late last evening, Sisodia had tweeted that the Haryana Chief Secretary had assured the city government that water supply in the Yamuna would be “back to normal” by this afternoon.

Both Wazirabad and Chandrawal treatment plants, which together treat around 220 MGD (million gallons per day) out of the 900 MGD treated in aDelhi -- were down to 60 per cent of their capacity as the city was receiving around 80 MGD (million gallons per day) less than its share.

Of the 900 MGD, around 550 (almost 60 per cent) comes from Haryana and the rest from Uttar Pradesh.