New Delhi: The Delhi government has moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Haryana government to immediately release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to Delhi through the Wazirabad barrage, to enable urgent mitigation and resolution of the ongoing water crisis in the national capital.
The Delhi government's plea contended that the unprecedented surge in temperature has triggered extraordinary and excessive demand for water, which is not being met by supply from neighbouring states, which has precipitated a full-fledged water and sanitation crisis.
The petition, filed by water minister Atishi, submitted that the filing of "this petition has been necessitated by an acute heat wave and an issuance of a red alert in the NCT, with temperatures soaring to a record-breaking high of 52.9 degrees Celsius."
According to sources, the plea said that since Himachal Pradesh does share a physical boundary with Delhi, this water needs to be released to the national capital through Wazirabad barrage, which is located in Haryana. The plea stressed that Haryana government's facilitation and cooperation, which is not being provided as on date, is imperative.
The plea said that the access to water is one of the basic human rights of an individual and it also forms an essential component of the guarantee of dignity and a quality of life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. "The current water crisis, which may only get worse given peak summers and ongoing water shortage, violates the right to a dignified and quality life of the people of the NCT of Delhi, who are unable to access even adequate clean drinking water," said the plea.
Against the backdrop prevailing water crisis in the national capital, the Delhi government said it has been compelled to crackdown on wastage of water and illegal connections built at construction sites and commercial establishments by releasing a notification imposing a fine of Rs 2000 on any found wasting water and deploying 200 teams to disconnect illegal water connections.