Haryana releases water to Delhi

The Haryana Government has agreed to release Delhi’s share of Yamuna water, as per reports on the 18^th of May, 2017. The shortage in water was due to a leakage in Narwana canal branch on May 8, which affected places in North and Central Delhi. The leakage in the canal had been fixed, and water will be released to the treatment plants in Delhi before it is distributed.

Analysis

The controversy over the water dispute takes a new shape every summer. The Haryana government claims that it has been releasing water to Delhi much beyond the predetermined level. It releases 1000 cusecs of water to Delhi against its daily entitlement of 725 cusecs. The PMO’s intervention in these types of disputes had been essential in the past as the two states cannot decide the issue themselves.

Delhi’s requirement is 900 million gallons per day. Rapid population growth increases Delhi’s yearly demand of water, which puts a pressure on the limited water resources. The equipment to handle water distribution are not well maintained which leads to leakage of water from the pipelines.

Assessment

Delhi is highly dependent on water from other states, though it has the Yamuna River in its heart. It has spent around Rs 2,000 crore on cleaning up Yamuna in the past 22 years. But the river still remains polluted, with 58% of sewage waste dumped into it. It doesn’t have adequate surface water and the step wells haven’t been maintained.

Since Delhi receives deficit rainfall, rain water harvesting may not be an effective method to conserve water. A strict regulation can be imposed on the usage of water by pricing it if it is used beyond a stipulated level in the households and industrial units. This type of pricing system is followed in Singapore where households using more water are charged a price to discourage the wastage of water. Improving their water management skills and effective usage of water treatment plants may reduce its dependency on neighboring states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, etc.