SC Orders Relief for Delhi's Water Woes: Himachal to Release Surplus Water

New Delhi. In response to the water scarcity crisis in Delhi, the Supreme Court issued a significant directive on Thursday. The court mandated Himachal Pradesh to release an additional 137 cusecs of water daily. Furthermore, when instructing Haryana to facilitate the flow of this water to Delhi, the Kejriwal administration was cautioned against wasteful water usage.

Arvind Kejriwal allegations

Amidst the relentless heatwave in Delhi, scores of individuals have been grappling with water shortages for some time now. In light of this, the Arvind Kejriwal government pointed fingers at Haryana for insufficient water supply in the Yamuna river and approached the Supreme Court seeking additional water allocation. The court, in response, directed the convening of a meeting by the Upper Yamuna Board on June 5, urging discussions among concerned parties.

Court should release water every day

The court stipulated that Himachal Pradesh should commence water release on June 7 after informing Haryana, with the Upper Yamuna River Board tasked with monitoring the water released from Himachal at Hathnikund. Moreover, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi government to enforce measures to prevent water wastage and requested a status report to be submitted by June 10.

What bench has said? 

Following deliberations involving all stakeholders, a bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Vishwanathan issued an order on Thursday, mandating Himachal Pradesh to release an extra 137 cusecs of water into the Yamuna river. Additionally, Haryana was instructed to allow the surplus water to flow unimpeded to the Hathnikund and Wazirabad Barrage to address Delhi's drinking water crisis.