The Hindu : New Delhi News : Opposition demands proper allocation of Yamuna waters

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Sunday, Mar 02, 2008
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Opposition demands proper allocation of Yamuna waters

Staff Reporter

Asks Centre to find a solution to the water problem in Capital

‘Congress Government has failed to ensure timely construction Munak canal’
Cautions about ground water level reaching a precarious stage in some places

NEW DELHI: The Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Jagdish Mukhi, has written to Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz drawing his attention to the Capital’s water woes and demanding proper allocation of the Yamuna waters.

He has urged the Union Minister to convene a meeting of the Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh governments to discuss the issue of water sharing and to evolve a strategy to ensure that all States get their allocated share. Referring to the 1994 agreement on water sharing among Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, and the decision to construct a pucca canal for carrying water from Haryana to Delhi, the BJP leader said the Congress Government had failed to ensure timely construction of that canal. “The Delhi Government was directed to get the pucca Munak canal constructed, through which water would reach Delhi from Tajewala. It is a matter of concern that in spite of the lapse of 12 years the canal has not been constructed,” the letter stated.

Pointing out that almost a third of Delhi is deprived of potable water today, Prof. Mukhi said the recent reduction in water supply had compounded the woes of the people.

Cautioning that the ground water level in the Capital was fast depleting, Prof. Mukhi said at some places the level had reached a precarious stage. Seeking Prof. Soz’s intervention, Prof. Mukhi said the Centre should find a solution to the water crisis in the Capital, which had become a perennial problem.

The letter also referred to the flow of sewage into the Yamuna, which is making the process of river cleaning impossible despite a huge amount of money being spent on the cleaning works.

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