The Supreme Court today took cognisance of the ongoing scarcity of water in Delhi. It addressed the pressing need for a resolution of the water crisis in the capital, directing the Upper Yamuna River Board to call for an "emergent meeting" of all stakeholder states on June 5, 2024, with its report to be submitted on June 6, 2024.
The water crisis has been aggravated by the ongoing heatwave in the capital region. A solution to the emergency requires a collaborative effort between the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
On May 31, 2024, the AAP government in Delhi filed a petition before the Supreme Court, requesting that the Court issue a directive to the state of Haryana to release any surplus water supplied by Himachal Pradesh to address the acute water shortages across the national capital. The writ petition was filed before Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Viswanathan of the SC Vacation Bench.
The Supreme Court, in its hearing today, categorically directed that "There shall be an emergent meeting of Upper Yamuna River Board on June 5, 2024, to address the issues agitated in this petition and all other connected issues in right earnest so that problems of scarcity of water for the citizens of Delhi should be properly addressed. Post this matter on Thursday (June 6) along with the minutes of the meeting and the suggested steps."
The Delhi government contended that it's water supply could not keep up with the rapidly rising demand. It stressed on the urgent need for additional water supply sources from its neighbouring states. Delhi's plea was made in spite of all its internal efforts and administrative measures to ensure "optimization, rationing, and targeted supply."
While Himachal Pradesh had readily agreed to provide its surplus water, the State of Haryana's cooperation is essential in this matter. The state shares borders with both Delhi and Himachal Pradesh and is therefore pivotal in releasing surplus water from within its own state and channeling it from Himachal Pradesh.
While addressing the water crisis, AAP Minister Atishi earlier provided input, stating, "Because of the heatwave, water demand has increased and on the other hand, the water level in Yamuna has decreased. Last year, there was 674.5 ft of water in the Wazirabad pond... Despite so many requests, only 671 ft of water has been released... All water treatment plants are being affected due to low levels of water in the Wazirabad barrage... We have requested Haryana and UP government to release more water."
In today's hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the State of Haryana and others accepted the Court's directive to convene the meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board and stakeholder states, but expressed concern over water wastage. He stated that "As per the figures placed before the Board, of every 100 litres of water that Delhi gets, only 48.65 litres reach the people in the Capital. 52.35% of it is lost due to leakage, tanker mafia and theft by industrial units. The government will have to tighten it." The Court took due note of this, for consideration at a later time.
