Kejriwal floats idea of water exchange with Haryana

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said 56.4 crore litres of treated water can be given by Delhi to Haryana for irrigation on daily basis and in turn, an equal amount of drinking water can be released by the neighbouring state for the national capital. Kejriwal floated the idea during the foundation stone-laying ceremony for India's largest sewage treatment plant at Okhla which can treat up to 56.4 crore litres of waste water per day.

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said Delhi can give 56.4 crore litres of treated water daily to Haryana for irrigation and in turn the neighbouring state can release an equal amount of drinking water for the national capital.

Kejriwal floated the idea during the foundation stone-laying ceremony for India's largest sewage treatment plant at Okhla which can treat up to 56.4 crore litres of wastewater per day.

"If we release this 56.4 crore litre of water into the Yamuna, it will flow downstream into the part of Haryana that is woefully short of water for irrigation. If Haryana reciprocates and releases an equal amount of water downstream to Delhi from the northern part of the river, it will satisfy the city's drinking water needs as well. This could be hugely beneficial for both the states," he said.

On groundwater depletion, Kejriwal said, "There are only two solutions before us: water recycling and recharge. Delhi's population is increasing rapidly. It does not have a water source of its own and depends on Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Together with the Centre, we are working on a massive groundwater recharge programme in the Yamuna floodplains."

"Every monsoon, the Yamuna overflows and all that water is wasted. Several studies, including one by IIT-Delhi, show that if we are able to conserve that water, it will satisfy Delhi's drinking water needs for the entire year.

"This year, we proposed a small pilot for this project and we needed permissions from the Centre to go ahead with it. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the central government have been very supportive on this front as well and I am grateful for that. Delhi's multiplicity of agencies can be overcome if these agencies work together," he said.

Kejriwal said Delhi's Coronation Plant is the first experiment in the country along the lines of what Singapore does to treat its water.

"Treated water will flow into the Yamuna at Palla and will be collected at Wazirabad. The water will get naturally treated due to the river flow and this experiment has tremendous potential to meet India's water needs," he said.