Delhi Water Crisis: No Extra Water For The National Capital, Says Himachal

Delhi's water crisis is not going to end anytime soon. In an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court, the Himachal Pradesh government changed its stance and said that did not have surplus water to send to the national capital. It was only yesterday that the hill hill state said it had released water for Delhi and the supply needs to go through Haryana.

As Delhi residents reel under the double blow of a heatwave and water crisis, the Supreme Court had directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital and told Haryana to facilitate its flow. The court had said the drinking water shortage has become an "existential problem" in Delhi.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said the state has already released water. "We have released water. We have asked advocates to inform the Supreme Court about this. The water we have released, we are ready to give that water. There are no ifs and buts."

The Supreme Court said on Thursday that the issue concerning water sharing between states is a complicated one and that the court does not have the required expertise to deal with it.

As a result, the top court has directed the Upper Yamuna River Board, or UYRB, to conduct a meeting with the necessary parties to find a solution to Delhi's water needs.

UYRB was set up under a Memorandum of Understanding between Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.

The court has directed the national capital to file an application with the UYRB, seeking 152 cusecs of water on humanitarian grounds. The board should conduct day-to-day meetings, if required, to solve this issue, the court said.

The court observed that the entire premise of its June 6 order rested on the fact that Himachal Pradesh had excess water. However, since this statement has now been withdrawn, we are back to square one, the court said.

On June 6, the top court directed the state of Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs of water to New Delhi as a heatwave across north India aggravated water shortage in the city.

While Himachal Pradesh was asked to release the required water, Haryana was directed to facilitate the release. "There should not be any politics on water,"  the court had said.

During the last hearing on Wednesday, the court was alarmed by a letter that was written by Himachal Pradesh to Haryana. The letter stated that Himachal Pradesh's share of unused water was continuously flowing to the Hathnikund barrage, and it requested that Haryana release this water to Delhi.

The court observed that the entire basis of this case rested on the fact that there was excess water lying in Himachal Pradesh. However, if the share of unused water has already been flowing, there is no excess, the court said.

Water levels in the Yamuna river have been declining over the years due to intense summers. The river accounts for 40% of Delhi's water supply. Water from the Yamuna is sourced through Haryana via the Hathnikund barrage.

The Hathnikund barrage is built on the river Yamuna and is controlled by the Haryana government. Water from the barrage, which is located nearly 180 kilometres from the national capital, takes around two to three days to reach Delhi.