Delhi water crisis: SC orders Himachal to release surplus water, Haryana to facilitate uninterrupted flow

The Supreme Court on June 6 ordered Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs of surplus water available with it to help Delhi tide over the water shortage.

A Bench of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice KV Viswanathan said water will be released by Himachal Pradesh on June 7 with prior intimation to Haryana and Upper Yamuna River Board shall measure the water for onward supply.

The apex court also directed Haryana to facilitate the flow of the surplus water from Hathnikund to Wazirabad uninterruptedly to Delhi to mitigate the drinking water crisis.

"Since Himachal has no objection, we direct that it shall transfer 137 cusecs from upstream, so water reaches Hathnikund barrage and reaches Delhi through Wazirabad. As and when the surplus water is released by State of Himachal Pradesh with prior intimation, the State of Haryana shall facilitate the flow of water from Hathnikund to Wazirabad so it reaches Delhi without obstruction, so the residents get drinking water," said the top court. 

The court has also asked the Upper Yamuna River Board to measure water released by Himachal Pradesh at Hathnikund.

Additionally, the apex court said that there should be no wastage of water by the Delhi government and sought status report from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and the Yamuna board by June 10, when it will next hear the case.

The directions comes amid a water crisis and the ongoing heatwave in Delhi, which prompted the Union Territory’s government to approach the Supreme Court for immediate intervention.

Delhi water minister Atishi said there has been a drastic dip in the water level at the Wazirabad barrage. The Delhi government also moved the Supreme Court on May 31, and sought a direction to Haryana to release surplus water, provided by Himachal Pradesh for Delhi. 

Delhi Water Minister Atishi on June 2 wrote to Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana requesting them to release additional water because of acute water scarcity in the national capital. 

In her letter addressed to CM Yogi Adityanath and CM Nayab Singh Saini, Atishi sought the additional release of water to Delhi for a month to ensure the availability of clean drinking water for the residents over the next month until the monsoon arrives. 

In the letter, the Delhi water minister highlighted a significant drop in the water level at the Wazirabad Barrage, which stands at 670.3 feet against the normal level of 674.50 feet at this time. This reduction has impacted the output of Delhi’s water treatment plants, she wrote. 

“To tackle the existing crises, we urgently need Haryana to release additional water into the Yamuna River at the earliest,” Atishi appealed to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.