Water war escalates: Delhi accuses Punjab of choking supply, AAP hits back

Leader of the opposition and AAP leaer Atishi said the BJP was deflecting attention from its own failures.

Delhi’s water minister Parvesh Verma on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government, accusing it of engineering a “conspiracy” to choke the Capital’s water supply in retaliation for AAP’s defeat in the February assembly polls. “They are punishing the people of Delhi for voting them out,” Verma alleged, claiming the city’s water share had been steadily slashed over five consecutive days — from 88 cusecs on May 1 to 130 cusecs by May 5 — amounting to a total shortfall of 463 cusecs.

Parvesh Verma (Ritik Jain)

“It’s a deliberate act — dirty politics over water. The Punjab government is using water as a weapon against Delhi residents,” Verma said at a press conference.

According to Verma, the supply from the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) — which provides water to Haryana and, in turn, to Delhi — has seen a sharp decline -- it was 88 cusecs less on May 1; 119 cusecs less on May 2; 71 cusecs on May 3, 55 cusecs on May 4, and a peak deficit of 130 cusecs on May 5.

“This is not just an interstate issue. It is a threat to the federal spirit of our democracy and a direct assault on basic human rights,” he said, appealing to the Centre and the BBMB to intervene urgently.

The Delhi BJP, meanwhile, intensified its offensive, with MPs and MLAs submitting a memorandum to lieutenant governor VK Saxena, accusing the Punjab government of engineering an “artificial water crisis”. They also staged a protest outside former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence.

“Arvind Kejriwal is now blocking Delhi’s rightful share of water through Punjab, and the Punjab government is conspiring to leave Delhi thirsty during peak summer,” said Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva at the protest. “Kejriwal and his party have not yet accepted their defeat in Delhi, and as revenge, they are punishing the people of Delhi. Kejriwal is now acting like the enemy of Delhi, and his actions of blocking water place him in alignment with Pakistan.”

AAP hit back, calling the charges baseless. Leader of the opposition and AAP leaer Atishi said the BJP was deflecting attention from its own failures.

“Delhi receives water from only two rivers — the Yamuna, through the Munak Canal, and the Ganga, through the Upper Ganga Canal. Neither of these flows from Punjab. Therefore, Punjab cannot stop Delhi’s water. Please stop lying to the people of Delhi,” she said.

As per the Economic Survey 2024, Delhi sources its water as follows: 389MGD from the Yamuna, 253MGD from the Ganga, and 221MGD from the Ravi-Beas via Bhakra storage. The water from Bhakra reaches Delhi through Ropar Headworks, Bhakra Canal and Narwana Branch, which merges with the Western Yamuna Canal (WJC). The WJC carries water both from the Yamuna’s Hathnikund Barrage and Bhakra’s supply.