Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Raghav Chadha
Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Raghav Chadha on Sunday claimed that Haryana has been withholding Delhi's legitimate share of water and that the raw water being discharged into the Yamuna by the neighbouring state is at an "all-time low". He said there has been a dip in the levels at the Wazirabad pond and a drop in operational capacity at Chandrawal and Wazirabad, Okhla water treatment plants due to Haryana allegedly withholding share of water for Delhi.
"Raw water discharge thru Yamuna by Haryana is at an all time low. Even 1Ft decline can cause havoc in the city but currently pond level has fallen from 674.5 Ft to 667 Ft. Delhi's legitimate share is withheld by Haryana Govt," Chadha tweeted, attaching pictures of reduced water levels at the Wazirabad pond.
"There is zero cusec release of Raw Water in Yamuna from Haryana," he said. He said Chandrawal WTP has been operating at 55 MGD (million gallons a day) capacity against the normal of 90 MGD.
Similarly, Wazirabad WTP and Okhla have been operating at 80 MGD and 12 MGD capacity against the normal of 135 MGD and 20 MGD, respectively.
The DJB has been supplying 945 MGD of water to city residents this summer against the demand of 1,150 MGD.
At present, Delhi has been receiving 479 MGD against 609 MGD from Haryana. Besides, Delhi draws 90 MGD groundwater and receives 250 MGD from the Upper Ganga Canal.
On Saturday, Chadha had said that the Haryana government was solely responsible for the water crisis in Delhi as it had been supplying 120 MGD less water against the legally proscribed amount.
