Irrigation dept agrees to release water

In a major relief for Millennium City residents, the Haryana Irrigation Department on Saturday agreed to supply an additional 50 cusec of canal water to the Chandubudhera water treatment plant July 31 onwards. Dhananjay Jha reports.

In a major relief for Millennium City residents, the Haryana Irrigation Department on Saturday agreed to supply an additional 50 cusec of canal water to the Chandubudhera water treatment plant July 31 onwards.

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In the third round of high-level talks since May at the Yamuna Canal office in Delhi, the Haryana Urban Development Authority ended a longstanding deadlock and secured additional supply from the NCR Channel. The Gurgaon Water Supply Canal (GWSC) and the NCR Channel come under the jurisdiction of the state irrigation department.

KK Jalan, financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary, Haryana government (Irrigation), DPS Nagal, Huda chief administrator, Huda administrator Praveen Kumar and Rajiv Verma, superintending engineer (Irrigation) were present at the meeting.

"Fifty cusecs of water would mean nearly 20 mgd (million gallons daily) of treated water that would be supplied from the Chandubudhera unit," said a senior HUDA official, adding that about 8-9 lakh people will benefit after supply begins.

The last two meetings had not could not end on a positive note amid a blame game over water already being supplied through the GWSC. While Huda maintained that 80 cusecs was being supplied thought the canal, the Irrigation department said it was 100 cusecs.

"That issue has been resolved now," said a senior irrigation department official.

The meeting has been seen as an aftermath of a court directive to the Haryana government over the acute water crisis in Gurgaon.