While Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Haryana Chief
Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda refrained from discussing the Yamuna water
sharing issue when they met at the Delhi Secretariat last weekend and have
since been trading charges, the officials on the two sides have also joined the
blame game.
In keeping with Ms. Dikshit's claim that Delhi was being denied
its share of water by Haryana, which has also stopped 45 MGD supply that would
impact nearly 25 lakh people, Delhi Chief Secretary P.K. Tripathi said on the
issue of Munak canal too Haryana was wrong in not sending the promised 80 MGD
of water to Delhi.
He said Haryana has refused to provide Delhi the entire 610
cusecs which were coming through Delhi Sub-Branch and has staked claim to the
water it would be saving through its supply via the concrete lined Munak canal
which has been constructed with funds provided by the Delhi Government.
A senior Haryana Irrigation Department official, however, held
Delhi responsible for its water woes.
“Water is supplied to Delhi from the Tajewala distribution point
about 250 km upstream on the Yamuna as per a memorandum of understanding signed
by five States – Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan
– in 1994. Apart from this the minimum flow of 10 cubic metre of water per
second (cumec) or about 353 cusec (cubic feet per second) in the Yamuna was
decided by the Supreme Court order of 1999,'' the Superintendent Engineer said.
He said subsequently a High Powered Committee was constituted to
decide on how this water would be released from the share of the various States
and how it would be put into the Yamuna river system. Since Himachal Pradesh
was above Tajewala and Delhi was to get this water, it was decided that Haryana
and Uttar Pradesh would contribute it from their share.
Further, it was also decided that 160 cusecs would be released
directly into the river from Tajewala, upstream of Wazirabad barrage, while 140
cusec would be supplied downstream through the Delhi Sub-Branch canal that
brings water for the Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants.
The Superintendent Engineer said Haryana has challenged the
orders to supply additional water. “In all about 2500 cusecs of water is
available during the lean season at Tajewala of which about 1,000 cusecs is
supplied for Delhi's needs and 160 cusecs is sent for maintaining the minimum
flow. The remaining water is shared by Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the ratio
of 2:1”.
The official said in Delhi Sub-Branch canal, Haryana releases
about 610 cusecs of water from Munak for Delhi. About 425 cusec is provided to
Haiderpur treatment plant and another 80 cusec to Nangloi treatment plant
through this canal. Apart from this between 140 cusec and 250 cusec of water is
being put in the Najafgarh drain, which flows into the Yamuna, to provide a
minimum flow in the river.
He said Haryana releases additional water through the drain into
the river to pick it up at Okhla.
However, because of the pollution in the drain and the river,
this water becomes so polluted that it cannot be used for drinking purposes but
is taken through a canal for use in irrigation in Faridabad, Palwal and Mewat
districts of Haryana.
The official said the Haryana Irrigation Department has been
releasing nearly 600 cusecs of water more from its own share to Delhi through
Drain No. 8 in Sonepat in accordance with another Supreme Court order. This
water is being put directly into the Yamuna, upstream of Wazirabad barrage.
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