Delhi water woes: UP, HP say no to giving extra water, Haryana stalls decision

Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have “backed out” from plans to give extra water to Delhi, while Haryana is not keen to pursue a water exchange proposal with the national capital, according to officials.

Proposals involving Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were being pursued since 2019. The two states pulled out around six to eight months ago, they said, reports News18.

Delhi had a plan to exchange 140 million gallons a day (MGD) of treated wastewater for freshwater from Uttar Pradesh. “Uttar Pradesh said it could share 270 cusecs of water from the Ganga through the Murad Nagar regulator and Delhi had promised to release an equal amount of treated wastewater to UP from Okhla for irrigation purposes. After multiple meetings and field inspections, Uttar Pradesh wrote to us around six months ago that the idea has been dropped,” an official told News18 on condition of anonymity. They did not give any reason for doing so, he said.

Also read: High ammonia content in Yamuna disrupts water supply in Delhi

Himachal backs out

In December 2019, Himachal Pradesh signed an MoU to sell its share of Yamuna water to Delhi at Rs 21 crore per annum. According to a multi-state agreement signed in 1994, Himachal gets three per cent share of Yamuna water. This share has remained unclaimed since then. Haryana first opposed Himachal’s plan to sell its share to Delhi, contending that its “canals did not have the capacity to carry extra water from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi,” News18 quoted another official. Thereafter, Himachal also “backed out” from the agreement around six months ago.

Delhi also held talks with Haryana on a proposal to share 20 MGD of treated wastewater for irrigation in lieu of freshwater. “Haryana has not agreed to the proposal yet. There is a very slim chance of it happening now,” the official said.

Delhi’s water arithmetic

Delhi generates around 770 MGD of wastewater. The 34 sewage treatment plants at 20 locations across the city treat up to 570 MGD of sewage. Around 90 MGD of treated wastewater is utilised for horticulture in parks and forests, irrigation and DTC depots. The capital is obligated to release 267 MGD of treated wastewater into the Yamuna to maintain the environmental flow, the report said.

Also read: As Yamuna runs dry, water supply in Delhi likely to be hit

Delhi requires around 1,200 MGD of water, while the DJB supplies around 950 MGD. Haryana supplies 610 MGD to Delhi while Uttar Pradesh gives 253 MGD. Around 90 MGD is drawn from rainy wells and tube-wells installed across the city.