Delhi water crisis: Atishi to begin fast; BJP says AAP dishing out lies

Delhi water minister Atishi to begin indefinite fast over water shortage; BJP denies allegations; AAP seeks support for fair water distribution in Delhi.

Delhi water minister Atishi on Thursday evening said that she will start her indefinite fast over the water shortage that has gripped the Capital over the last fortnight, continuing her allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central and Haryana governments.

Delhi Water Minister Atishi addresses a press conference on Delhi water crisis (ANI )

Reiterating their stance on the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government’s allegations, Delhi BJP leaders and MPs called Atishi’s statements “false” adding that they spoke to the Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, and are now presenting the factual data and information.

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In a message on Thursday evening, Atishi said she will start her indefinite fast from noon at Jangpura on Friday. “Delhi is experiencing severe heat and needs 1,005 million gallons of water per day (mgd)... 613 mgd water comes from Haryana to Delhi but for some time the Haryana government has been giving only 513 mgd, due to which 28 lakh (2.8 million) people of Delhi are not getting water. The Himachal government is ready to provide additional water which is to come to Delhi via Haryana, but the Haryana government has refused to do so. I am sitting on an indefinite fast until the people of Delhi get water,” Atishi said.

Atishi on Wednesday said she has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking help alleviate Delhi’s water problem and said she would go on an indefinite “jal satyagraha” from Friday if additional water was not provided to Delhi.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, minister of state for defence Harsh Malhotra, MPs Manoj Tiwari, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, and others, in a press conference, slammed the AAP administration over the water situation.

“In 2018, the Kejriwal government similarly accused the Haryana and Punjab of not providing water to Delhi. They took the accusation to the Upper Yamuna River Board, which, after investigation, ruled that the Kejriwal government’s accusation was false and that Haryana was supplying water to Delhi as per the agreement. In 2021, the AAP government again blamed Haryana and took the matter to the Supreme Court. The committee established by the Supreme Court investigated and reported that Haryana was supplying full water to Delhi as per the agreement. The Supreme Court reprimanded the Kejriwal government after this report in 2021,” Sachdeva said.

The Delhi said that there was no water crisis in Delhi. “There is water corruption involving the Delhi government. By the end of May 2024, the BJP had established that pipe leakage and the looting by the tanker mafia protected by the government are responsible for Delhi’s water problem... Instead of seeking additional water from their ally Punjab, they are asking the Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments to make them appear uncooperative and defame the BJP and Congress governments,” Sachdeva added.

AAP MP urges INDIA bloc to support water demand

Meanwhile, in a separate press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh called on all parties of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance bloc to support the AAP’s demand for fair water distribution to Delhi and alleged that the BJP orchestrated the severe water crisis in Delhi.

“Despite repeated requests of the Delhi government, the BJP-led Haryana government is still not giving Delhi its due share of water. They are not even providing drinking water. Haryana government has stopped drinking water of 100 MGD, equivalent to the demand of 28 lakh people, we are only asking for that same water. This will solve the water crisis,” Singh said.

Delhi crisis: AAP's Sanjay Singh seeks INDIA bloc's support to get water from Haryana

Several areas in Delhi have been facing an acute water shortfall over the last few weeks, primarily due to raw water shortage that has hindered water production at Delhi’s water treatment plants. The problem has been exacerbated by the intense heatwave that has tightened its grip in parts of northwest India.

Delhi is dependent on its neighbouring states to meet 86.5% of its raw water needs. Of the 1,050 mgd water supply Delhi receives from neighbouring states, 613mgd comes from Haryana.