Delhi water crisis: Himachal Pradesh takes U-turn, tells SC it doesn't have surplus water for national capital
Delhi water crisis
As Delhi continues to grapplewith water shortage, the Himachal Pradesh government did a U-turn onThursday (June 13) and told India's Supreme Court that it does not have surplus water for Delhi. This comes a day after the state governmentstatedit had released some for the national capital that had to pass through Haryana.
The top court had directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 136 cusecs of water to the national capital and Haryana to streamline its flow.
Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said that the hill state had released the water and there were "no ifs and buts" about it.
"We have released water. We have asked advocates to inform the Supreme Court about this. The water we have released, we are ready to give that water. There are no ifs and buts," Sukhu said.
However, the Himachal Pradesh government withdrewits statement in the court Thursday and saidit does not have surplus water to give to Delhi.
A vacation bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale at the Supreme Court asked the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB seeking the supply of water to the national capital on humanitarian grounds.
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It further said that sharing the water of the Yamuna River was a complex and sensitive matter and that the court did not have the required technical expertise to announce a decision even on an interim basis.
"The issue should be left to be considered by the body constituted with the agreement of parties in the memorandum of understanding dated 1994," the bench said.
"Since the UYRB has already directed Delhi to submit an application for the supply of water on humanitarian grounds... such an application be made, if not already made, by today by 5 pm, and the board shall convene a meeting tomorrow and take a decision in the matter at the earliest," it added.
The Supreme Court was hearing the Delhi government's plea seeking direction to the Haryana government to release surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh as the national capital is reeling under severe water crisis amid scorching heatwave.
(With inputs from agencies)