Delhi Government Appeals for Additional Water Amidst Shortage

In light of the ongoing water shortage in the national capital, the Delhi government has made an appeal to Haryana to release additional water into the Yamuna River on humanitarian grounds. This appeal was announced by senior AAP leader and minister Atishi during a press conference on Saturday.

Delhi’s water minister disclosed that the city is currently facing a shortage of 70 million gallons per day (MGD) in water production due to a lack of raw water in the Munak canal and Wazirabad reservoir. The normal water production in Delhi, which is around 1,002 MGD, dropped to 932 MGD on Friday as a result of this shortage.

Atishi stated, “The Delhi government has appealed to Haryana to release additional water for the people of the city on humanitarian grounds.” She added that discussions related to the share of Yamuna water can be held once the current heatwave conditions subside.

Despite a meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board on Friday, no solution to the water crisis in Delhi could be found. However, Atishi claimed that Himachal Pradesh is ready to provide the water that was not used by it to Delhi. She said, “I spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on phone and he assured me cooperation.”

The calculation of data on the availability of water from Himachal Pradesh is yet to be done by the Board. In a meeting with Delhi Jal Board officials on Saturday, it was decided that an assessment would be done of areas not getting any water and the number of water tankers would be increased. Currently, DJB tankers are making around 10,000 trips in water-scarce areas, supplying 10 MGD of water per day. In some other areas like Bawana, Dwarka, and Nangloi, emergency tube wells have been started to provide water to the local residents