The Hindu : New Delhi News : Haryana puts a spanner in DJB’s efforts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 22, 2007
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New Delhi

Haryana puts a spanner in DJB’s efforts

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Refuses to carry water from Renuka Dam for Delhi unless gets a share in water, power

A meeting likely to take place soon to sort out the issue
“Delhi, Himachal have divided water, power among themselves”

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board’s protracted efforts to get the Uttar Pradesh Government to sign an agreement for securing raw water for Delhi is close to fruition, but the city’s other neighbour Haryana has put a spanner in the works of the water utility to procure water from the Renuka Dam before 2010.

Seeking its share from the total water and power that will be generated by the Renuka Dam, Haryana has put on hold Delhi’s attempts to expedite work on the project.

Haryana’s refusal to carry water for Delhi unless it gets its share determined as per the agreement on water sharing signed by five co-basin States -- Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi -- in 1994 has brought the DJB back to the negotiation table.

“A meeting is likely to take place next week to sort out the issue. Haryana has made it clear that it will carry water for Delhi only when its share of water and power is allocated from the dam,” said a DJB source.

“Delhi was hopeful of getting water from the Renuka Dam in Himachal Pradesh before the commencement of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Wanting to waste no time in securing water for the city to meet the additional demand, the DJB was pursuing Uttar Pradesh to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for supply of raw water for the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant and work on the dam was being given priority.”

Dam construction

The Board is also worried about the pace of work for the construction of the dam. “The pace of work needs to be accelerated, but as things stand on date, it is unlikely that Delhi will get any water from the dam by 2010,” the source claimed.

The dam is proposed to be 148 m high with a storage of 542 million cubic metres and an installed capacity of 40 MW.

“Haryana has also put forth that the 1994 agreement was not signed by Rajasthan, therefore there should be a review. The Haryana Government is upset that Delhi and Himachal Pradesh have conveniently divided water and power respectively among themselves, and not even cared to notify it to the other co-basin States,” the source said.

“Water from the Renuka Dam is expected to solve Delhi’s water problems. While it is not likely to get this water by 2010, if work on the project is started on war footing and the glitches are resolved, then Delhi stands to gain about 1,250 million cubic litres per day once the project is completed.”

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