Delhi Water Crisis: Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena on Saturday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing the party and its ministers of turning the capital’s “water crisis” into an “opportunity” to blame neighbouring states. “The shrill rhetoric of Delhi government ministers over the past few weeks has been disturbing and questionable. Drinking water supply has become a challenge in the national capital. Leaders have turned the crisis into an opportunity to blame neighbouring states for political gains,” Saxena was quoted as saying by ANI.
Saxena said Delhi is dependent on drinking water supply from neighbouring states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. He said, ‘The inter-state water-sharing arrangement is decided under the rules of the Jal Shakti Ministry of the Government of India, which has been upheld repeatedly by the Supreme Court. States have to release water as per the agreements signed under this framework. Also, the Delhi government is bound to ensure that water resources are used efficiently to ensure equitable supply across the city.’
Saxena’s statement comes amid a heated exchange between the Delhi and Haryana governments over the acute water problem in the capital. Delhi’s Water Resources Minister Atishi has been on an indefinite fast since Friday, alleging that the Haryana government has not agreed to supply the required amount of water.
“This is the second day of my fast. There is a huge shortage of water in Delhi. Delhi gets water from its neighbouring states. Delhi gets a total of 1005 MGD of water which is supplied to Delhi households. Out of this, 613 MGD water comes from Haryana, but for the past several weeks, it is releasing only 513 MGD,” Atishi said in a video on her handle on social media site ‘X’.
Tags: Arvind Kejriwal, atishi marlena, Delhi AAP, saxena, Water Crisis
FIRST PUBLISHED : June 22, 2024, 19:31 IST