Delhi seeks add’l water from Haryana to maintain Yamuna e-flow

Delhi negotiates with Haryana for more water supply via the Munak Canal as the Yamuna dries up, hoping for relief in the next few days.

New Delhi

Water shortage in Chanakyapuri. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Officials of the Delhi government said they have started negotiations with Haryana to seek additional water supply through the Munak Canal, and that some additional water will soon be supplied to the Capital to provide relief as the Yamuna has started drying up in swathes across the Capital.

Data from the Hathnikund barrage on Tuesday morning shows that only 352 cusecs of water was being released into the river from the barrage, with most of the water being diverted to the Western Jamuna Canal and Eastern Jamuna Canal.

The Hathinikund barrage acts as the primary regulation point for the release of the Yamuna water for Delhi. Data from Hathnikund on Tuesday morning shows that on average, 2,293 cusecs of water was being released from the three points, with the bulk of the supply, 1,742.08 cusecs, to the Western Jamuna Canal. On Monday night, the Western Jamuna Canal received 3,299.44 cusecs.

Bhim Singh Rawat, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), said that 352 cusecs of water was not enough to maintain the e-flow in the river. “The river needs at least 1,500 cusecs to maintain the environmental flow (e-flow). At the same time, 3,200 cusecs of water is being released in Western Jamuna Canal. River system has a base flow and this water also comes from sand aquifers and smaller tributaries; otherwise, 352 cusecs of water would have dried up in the Haryana section,” he said.

Delhi receives raw water from Haryana in two ways: through the river channel and the Munak Canal, comprising the CLC and DSB canals.

Amid worsening water shortages across several parts of the capital, Haryana has released 980 cusecs of water into the Munak Canal, which is likely to bring partial relief to parched areas.

A senior government functionary said that the Delhi government is engaging with Haryana for additional release of water and some relief is likely in the next 2-3 days. “979.5 cusecs of water has been released, of which CLC has 442 cusecs while DSB has 536 cusecs. This will provide additional water at Haiderpur. Water is also being diverted from Haiderpur to Wazirabad,” the official said.

A DJB official said that a marginal increase has been observed. “Some water increase has been noted. Any additional water is welcome at this point but we will need much larger quantum of raw water to tide over the summer season.”