Delhi, the national capital is already dealing with the heatwaves as temperature have surpassed 50 degree celsius, are now confronted with the severe shortage of water.
The impacted areas stretch from North to South Delhi and from the NDMC region to Patel Nagar. The worst-hit areas are a variety of places, such as the Sanjay Camp neighborhood of Chanakyapuri and Geeta Colony in East Delhi.
As the intense heat wave continues to engulf the city, residents of Mehrauli and Chattarpur have also been affected by the water problem.
In the midst of the crisis, the Delhi government, led by the AAP, has implemented strict measures to prevent water waste. "Anyone found wasting water faces a fine of ₹2,000.”A central control room headed by an IAS official was established by the AAP government on May 30. Atishi additionally declared that locals could call a helpline at (1916) to request water tankers.
Following his return to Tihar Jail on June 2, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged the BJP to have discussions with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.Due to the shortage of water, last week delhi government approached the court for additional supply of water from the neighbour states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.The Upper Yamuna River Board was ordered by the Supreme Court on Monday to call an urgent meeting on June 5 that will bring together all stakeholders in order to address the severe water scarcity that Delhi's citizens experience.In addition, the Delhi administration filed a plea seeking more water from nearby Haryana, and the court set a hearing for June 6 to discuss it.
A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Viswanathan ordered the state of Haryana to facilitate the flow of surplus water i.e, 137 cusecs of water released by the state of Himachal Pradesh to Wazirabad and Hathnikund so that it reaches Delhi without interruption and is made available for drinking water for Delhi residents. The surplus water will be released as and when it is released by the state of Himachal Pradesh with prior notice to Haryana.The apex court made it clear that there should be no politics on this issue and directed the next hearing to 10 June. It has also warned Delhi government about the shortage of water and is also instructed to ensure there is no water wastage and submit its report by June 10.
The plea is filed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution as “Water access is every person's fundamental human right. Apart from being necessary for survival, water availability is also a crucial element in ensuring the dignity and standard of living.”
