Part of supply stopped to Pak can resolve city’s water shortage: Delhi Jal Board

The Delhi government on Friday said its water crisis during the lean period in summer months can be solved if it gets a portion of the water the Centre had stopped from flowing into Pakistan after the Pulwama attack.

In a rejoinder filed in the Delhi high court through its standing counsel Sumeet Pushkarna, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) told the court, “…recently 0.53 MAF (million acre feet ) has become available in Ravi Beas and which has been stopped by the Central government from going into Pakistan. Even a part of this water will greatly help Delhi tide over the lean period drinking water crisis.”

According to DJB vice-chairman Dinesh Mohaniya, Delhi gets 275 million gallons per day (MGD) water from the Ravi Beas channel. This water is the purchased share of the capital, which it has been getting from 1997-98.

He said apart from this, even if a portion of the 0.53 MAF (approx 500 MGD) is given to Delhi, its water crisis can be solved.

The rejoinder came after the Haryana government on March 13 told the court that the Delhi government was wasting 3,00 cusecs water due to pilferage at various stages.

On Friday, the DJB told the court that the Haryana government was not considering the position of Delhi as the “capital”, and instead was bent on depriving its most sensitive and important areas of drinking water.

It said Haryana had a population of three crores in comparison to Delhi’s nearly two crore. It said the neighbouring state is receiving 22,000 cusecs water as opposed to about Delhi’s share of 1,800 cusecs from all sources. But despite that Haryana, is reluctant in giving the water.

“…despite having an availability of over 10 times the water of Delhi, for adjusting its drinking needs, Haryana is always reluctant for delivery of even 120 cusecs of water at Wazirabad (for the lean season of about 100 days or so, when water from the river course is not available or usable) and that too in clear violation and contempt of the orders of the Supreme Court,” the rejoinder read.

The court was hearing an application filed by DJB, which alleged the neighbouring state was not allowing the passage of clean water into the Yamuna, making the water meant for the national capital more polluted and causing a massive shortage in central Delhi.

The application was filed in a pending PIL filed moved by advocate S B Tripathi, who had said the population of Delhi was increasing each day but the raw water available for it was the same or decreasing.

The matter would be now heard on May 8.