‘Why should we do your job?’ SC to Upper Yamuna River Board

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 11

As many northern states, including Delhi and Haryana, continue to fight for the Yamuna water, the Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for failing to discharge its duty with regard to distribution of river water among the beneficiary states.

“Why is the Upper Yamuna River Board not doing its job? What are they doing? The board is supposed to do its job. We do not know why they (UYRB) do not want to do their job? Why should we do their job?” a Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta asked.

Set up by the Centre in 1995, UYRB is assigned the task of regulating supply of water from all storages and barrages till the Okhla barrage in Delhi in accordance with the agreements between the governments of the six basin states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Directing UYRB to give its suggestions or take a decision on water sharing between Haryana and Delhi by May 14, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on May 16. It asked the parties to maintain status quo.

The Bench – which is seized of dispute on Yamuna water sharing between Delhi and Haryana – said UYRB was supposed to do its job of regulating water supply to barrages.

Haryana government counsel said the state was supplying Yamuna water to Delhi and would not alter the status quo. There was clear-cut allocation of water and Haryana was supplying water, which was more than what was stipulated, to Delhi, he said.

The Delhi government has been in talks with Haryana for the release of 450 cusec of water of the Yamuna daily for the Capital. Its counsel told the Bench on Friday that Delhi should get continuous supply of water from the Yamuna to meet its drinking water requirements.

The DJB had moved the top court in March seeking a direction to Haryana to release 450 cusec of water per day meant for the Wazirabad reservoir in Delhi. Haryana was supplying 120 cusecs less water, the DJB alleged.

In its petition, DJB had accused Haryana of reducing by one-third the supply of water the Wazirabad reservoir, leading to a serious water crisis in the National Capital. The Haryana government was violating the 1996 top court order regarding supply of water, it alleged.

Haryana was supplying only 330 cusecs of water per day to Delhi as against 450 cusecs per day agreed upon between the two sides. While Delhi’s population has increased phenomenally over the years, there has not been a commensurate rise in water supply, DJB had submitted.

Due to drop in water level in the Yamuna, water treatment plants either stopped functioning or were running on below capacity; DJB had said accusing Haryana of releasing polluted water which could not be treated. As a result, DJB was rationing water supply, causing water shortage in large parts of Delhi, it submitted. The situation was likely to get worse with the onset of summer and rising demand for drinking water, DJB had said.

Amid continuing stand-off with Delhi over water, Haryana had on May 1 told the top court that it had been receiving only half the water it was supposed to get from the Hathni Kund barrage in the Yamuna Nagar district.

Piqued at wrangling between bureaucrats of Delhi and Haryana over supply of water to the National Capital, the top court had last month ordered chief secretaries to appear before it.