New Delhi, (Asian independent) Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Vice Chairman Raghav Chadha on Tuesday said the Haryana government has released nearly 16,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second) of water for Delhi, which will reach the Yamuna river in the next three-four days.
Chadha claimed that Haryana released Delhi’s legitimate share of water after the DJB moved the Supreme Court and held several rounds of talks with officials of the neighbouring state.
In 1996, the apex court had told the Haryana government and other states to share Yamuna’s water to ensure that there was no shortage of drinking water in Delhi.
The DJB on Sunday moved the SC seeking immediate directions to the Haryana government to release Delhi’s share of water.
“We tried to build pressure on the Haryana government. We even filed a petition in the SC and held several rounds of talks with the officials of the neighbouring state. Now Delhi’s water crisis will be resolved in next three or four days,” he added.
On Friday, the DJB had said Haryana had been withholding 120 MGD (million gallons per day) water belonging to Delhi.
On Monday, Delhi’s water authority had claimed that the water level at the Wazirabad pond had hit the lowest mark since 1965.
According to a DJB official, the level at Wazirabad pond had come down from a normal 674.5 feet to 667 feet.
The water from Wazirabad pond is drawn for treatment at Wazirabad, Okhla and Chandrawal treatment plants. The treated water is then supplied to central, south and west Delhi.
The DJB supplies 935 MGD of water to city residents against the demand of 1,150 MGD.
At present, the national capital has been receiving 479 MGD against 609 MGD from Haryana. Besides, it draws 90 MGD groundwater and receives 250 MGD from the Upper Ganga Canal.