Delhi sends SOS to Haryana amid water crisis due to rising heat

New Delhi: In a bid to avoid a water crisis in the national capital, the Delhi government on Thursday sent an SOS to Haryana, for the third time in two weeks, urging it to release additional water into the Yamuna river.

The city government had earlier written to the Haryana irrigation department in this connection on May 3 and April 30.

According to an official, as quoted by PTI, Haryana is releasing less water into the river due to which the water level at the Wazirabad pond has dropped to a critical low of 671.80 feet, as against the normal level of 674.5 feet.

Taking note of this, the Delhi government has requested to supply 150 cusecs of raw water additionally through the DD-8/river route till the arrival of monsoon to ensure that 120 cusec of raw water reaches the Wazirabad pond in this time of crisis.

"Even flow via CLC (Carrier-Lined Channel) and DSB (Delhi Sub-Branch) is fluctuating... The lifting of 120 cusec of water from the Wazirabad pond is affected due to the low pond level. This will affect water production adversely. Due to peak summer, the water requirement is more," the SOS sent to the Haryana irrigation department read.

According to weather experts, the mercury is predicted to leap to 46-47 degrees Celsius at isolated places in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a 'yellow' alert, warning of a heatwave at most places in the capital on Friday and Saturday. An 'orange' alert has been issued to caution people about a severe heatwave on Sunday.

Officials said operations at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water treatment plants have been affected. Starting Friday morning, the water supply will remain affected till the water level at the Wazirabad pond improves to normal.

Haryana supplies a total of 610 million gallons of water a day to Delhi through two canals -- Carrier-Lined Channel (CLC) and Delhi Sub-Branch (DSB) -- and the Yamuna.

The CLC and the DSB are supplied water from Hathni Kund via the Munak canal and the Bhakra Beas Management Board.

Besides, Delhi receives 253 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and 90 MGD is drawn from Ranney wells and tube wells installed across the city.

Delhi requires around 1,200 MGD of water, while the DJB supplies around 950 MGD.

The government has now targeted increasing the water supply to 998 MGD to meet the growing demand this summer season and to 1,180 MGD by June 2023.