Yamuna levels up after Haryana released Delhi’s rightful share of water: DJB’s Raghav Chadha

Inspecting the water level at the Wazirabad Barrage on Friday, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) vice-chairman Raghav Chadha said the Haryana government has released around 16,000 cusecs of water which has now reached Delhi. He said the water treatment plants are operating at full capacity and this will ease the city’s water woes.

Speaking to the media, Chadha said the Wazirabad riverbed had dried up and the water level stood at around 667 feet a few days earlier. “Now, after the discharge of Delhi’s rightful share of raw water through the Yamuna river by the Haryana government, the water levels at the Wazirabad Barrage have risen up to 674.5 feet, which is a moment of joy for all the people residing in Delhi,” he said.

The water situation in the capital had sparked a war of words between the DJB and Haryana government. While DJB had alleged Haryana is releasing only 120 million gallons of water per day (MGD) – lesser than usual – the latter said it is providing its share despite water scarcity due to delayed monsoons. It also said the situation in Delhi is a result of “internal mismanagement”.

Chadha said it was because of the efforts of the people of Delhi and the Delhi government that the Haryana government has released its rightful share of water.

He also shared photos of the barrage on July 12 and July 16, noting that the water level has increased significantly in these few days. He tweeted, “Visited Wazirabad Barrage to inspect water levels of Yamuna. Happy to inform that under leadership of CM @ArvindKejriwal extensive efforts were made by @DelhiJalBoard to reason with Haryana Govt, including moving the SC, as a result Delhi finally gets its legitimate share of water.”