Delhi water scarcity: Atishi urges CMs of UP, Haryana to release additional water as residents chase precious drops

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. 

“The government of NCT of Delhi is doing its maximum best to increase the production capacity of its water treatment plants. However, the intensity of the heatwave is such that we would require help from all quarters to cater to the people of Delhi,” Atishi wrote. 

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 Nayab Singh Saini.  

The minister noted that the Delhi government has already implemented measures to prevent water wastage, including the rationalisation of water distribution, but the current supply is insufficient to meet the heightened demand. 

Residents face harrowing time

The widespread water scarcity in the national capital amid the ongoing heatwave conditions has left residents scrambling for precious drops. Residents are seen chasing water tankers with empty vessels in hand to collect water for daily needs. Water tankers are now the only means to fulfil daily requirements for residents in parts of Delhi.  

Video footage from ANI showed residents of Okhla Phase 2 anxiously running after a water tanker to fill their vessels. Some even jumped the queue and climbed on top of the tanker with pipes to collect water. 

In another video clip, empty buckets were lined adjacent to water tankers as residents took turns filling their buckets at Sanjay camp in the Chanakyapuri area. 

On June 31, the Delhi government approached the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Haryana government to release water at the Wazirabad barrage from Himachal Pradesh. The apex court will hear the plea urging immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana on June 3. 

In its plea, the Delhi government claimed that it is constrained to file the petition on account of the acute shortage of water being faced by the people of Delhi, which is triggered by the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in the national capital.