Supreme Court directs Himachal to release water to Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs of extra water to Delhi to assist the capital in dealing with its water problem.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Vishwanathan was hearing the Delhi government’s request for the rapid provision of water to the crisis-hit national capital.
The court directed the hill state to release the water tomorrow with prior notice to the Haryana board. It also requested that Haryana make plans for an uninterrupted supply of water to Delhi.
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“The Haryana government should allow the flow of water, which is being received from Himachal, to reach Wazirabad in Delhi without any hindrance so that the people of Delhi get drinking water,” the court said.
No politics on water, says Supreme Court
According to PTI, the Supreme Court has ordered the Delhi administration to guarantee that no water is wasted and that there is no water politics.
The national capital has been suffering from a debilitating lack of water.
Last week, the Delhi government filed a Supreme Court petition requesting extra water supplies from neighboring states such as Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh.
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In its petition, the Delhi administration informed the Supreme Court that the city’s water consumption had increased dramatically due to heatwave conditions, and it sought other states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh, to supply additional water for a month.
The Delhi government also declared a number of emergency measures, including a prohibition on the use of potable water for car washing and on construction sites. It also imposed a Rs 2,000 fine “on anyone found wasting water”.
