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Why Delhi govt hasn’t taken any step to upgrade Wazirabad plant, asks Saini
“The statement about (Haryana supplying) poisonous water made by former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is a political stunt by the Aam Aadmi Party aimed at influencing voters in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections and deflecting attention from its own failures,” Saini said in a statement in Chandigarh.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that ensuring “clean water supply” to the National Capital is a collective responsibility that Haryana has been fulfilling diligently and without any shortcomings.
“The statement about (Haryana supplying) poisonous water made by former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is a political stunt by the Aam Aadmi Party aimed at influencing voters in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections and deflecting attention from its own failures,” Saini said in a statement in Chandigarh.
Hitting out at the AAP-led Delhi government, Saini said that the Delhi government has not taken any step to upgrade the Wazirabad plant, which is the source of water contamination.
“In 2021, Delhi filed a petition. And the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its reply highlighted the issue of ammonia nitrogen in the Wazirabad pond and mentioned that there is a water treatment plant in Agra capable of treating water with ammonia levels... However, the Delhi government has not taken any step to upgrade Wazirabad plant. As a result, the people of Delhi are still forced to consume contaminated water, while Arvind Kejriwal is now blaming Haryana to cover up his own failures,” Saini said.
He said that during January 7-13, 2021, the CPCB tested the water from Yamunanagar (Haryana) to Wazirabad (Delhi) and investigated the primary causes of pollution. “The investigation revealed that dirty water is being illegally discharged between Palla and Wazirabad. The accumulation of sediment in the Wazirabad pond is causing an increase in ammonia nitrogen levels. However, the Delhi government has not taken any action on the CPCB’s report since 2021. Neither has the illegal discharge of polluted water between Palla and Wazirabad been halted, nor has any effort been made to clean the Wazirabad pond,” he said.
Stating that people of Haryana regard Yamuna river as their mother, Saini said Yamuna is a life-giving resource for both Haryana and Delhi and that preserving its purity is a collective responsibility.
Condemning Kejriwal’s allegations and dubbing the stance of former Delhi chief minister “an insult to the faith of Haryana and its people”, he said people of Haryana view the Yamuna as a sacred river and worship it. He further stated that Kejriwal’s accusations are not only baseless but also disrespectful to Haryana’s cultural traditions and beliefs.
According to Saini, Delhi receives its drinking water supply of 1,049 cusec at Munak from the waters of the Yamuna and Ravi-Beas rivers. He said Haryana is consistently supplying this water to Delhi through two canals-- Carrier Line Channel (CLC) and the Delhi Branch. Since the commissioning of the Carrier Line Channel in 2014, Haryana has not supplied any water to Delhi through drains or directly from the Yamuna river; instead, clean water is being supplied exclusively through the canal system of CLC and Delhi Branch, said the chief minister.
“The Haryana government is committed to ensuring the purity and continuous supply of water to Delhi,” Saini assured.
