New Delhi. The Delhi government on Friday moved the Supreme Court, requesting to direct Haryana to supply more water to the national capital, which is facing water crisis during the scorching heat. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government has demanded that the additional water received by Haryana from Himachal be given to the national capital. The petition filed by Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi has made the Center, BJP-ruled Haryana and Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh parties. The petition states that water is one of the basic human rights.
The petition said, “Availability of water is one of the basic human rights of any person. Water is not only necessary to live, but access to water is also an essential component of the guarantee of dignity and quality of life under Article 21 of the Constitution.” It said, “The current water crisis may worsen due to the scorching heat and continued shortage of water and it is a violation of the right to dignified and quality life of the people of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, who are unable to get adequate clean drinking water.”
According to sources, the petition has sought direction to the Haryana government to immediately and continuously release water from the Wazirabad Barrage including the full surplus water made available by Respondent No. 2 (Himachal Pradesh) to the National Capital Territory of Delhi to address the water crisis in the national capital.
The petition said, “Due to record high temperatures and heatwaves in Delhi, the maximum temperature has reached 50 degrees Celsius in some places, resulting in an extraordinary and excessive increase in the demand for water in the city. The national capital is facing a water crisis, due to which there are frequent cuts in water supply in many parts of the National Capital Region and the daily life of the common people has been disrupted. ” The Delhi government said that it has requested this direction as a one-time measure and has not filed a petition to resolve any pending inter-state water dispute.
The petition states that to deal with the demand during the summer months, the Delhi government has devised a solution under which Himachal Pradesh has agreed to share its surplus water with Delhi. It states that since Himachal Pradesh does not share its border with Delhi, the surplus water released by it should be brought through Haryana.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to ask the respective governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to provide water to the national capital for a month. The national capital is facing a severe water crisis and Water Minister Atishi has accused Haryana of not giving Delhi’s share of water.