Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday demanded that Delhi’s share in water allocation, which was fixed at 875 cusecs in 1996 and has remained static since, be “urgently” raised as the population of the Capital has nearly doubled since then.
Mr. Kejriwal made the demand at a call-on meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat that was also attended by Delhi Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain, in addition to officials from Delhi government and Union Ministry officials concerned.
According to the Delhi government, Mr. Kejriwal informed the Union Minister that Delhi’s water requirement was last fixed in 1996 when the population of the city was 1.25 crore, and in the last 23 years, the city has undergone massive expansion and the population has also shot up.
CM’s appeal
“Today’s water requirement of Delhi cannot be met with what was fixed in 1996. I also appeal to you to consider the fact that Delhi is the country’s capital and all authorities concerned must ensure that drinking water is available to all the residents. It must be the primary responsibility of all,” the Chief Minister was quoted as having said by the Delhi government in a statement.
The water demand in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal told Mr. Shekhawat, will further go up in the coming months and years due to the Delhi Development Authority’s land pooling policy.
According to the policy, at least 16 lakh new flats will be constructed in the city and this will further increase the water demand.
The Chief Minister, as per the statement, also requested the Union Minister to expedite the necessary approvals for the Delhi government’s ambitious project for natural water storage in the Yamuna floodplains which intends to meet the city’s water demand for at least six months with the storage of single day’s monsoon rain.
Shekhawat’s assurance
Mr. Shekhawat, the statement said, assured Mr. Kejriwal that the Union Ministry will examine the Delhi government’s proposal and give its opinion within three days of receiving it.
The Chief Minister, the statement added, also informed the meeting that the Delhi government was giving top priority to water conservation and as a major step, rain water harvesting is being made compulsory in all Delhi government school buildings and government buildings to ensure water conservation.