Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil said on Wednesday that the Centre would work with the new government in Delhi to clean River Yamuna.

Dismissing the allegation of Delhi getting poisonous water through the Yamuna, he said, “I have been drinking Delhi water for the last 16 years and I am alive. The water of Yamuna river is getting polluted due to garbage, dirty sewage, and industrial waste generated in Delhi, Haryana has no role in this.”

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“After the formation of a new government in Delhi, Yamuna will be cleaned in the coming time and work will be done rapidly in this regard and we will work together to clean the Yamuna river,” said Patil who, along with Haryana Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shyam Singh Rana, was addressing a press conference here today.

They also highlighted the decisions taken by the Central government for the welfare of people in the Union Budget presented recently by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Answering questions from mediapersons, Patil said the SYL issue between Punjab and Haryana is currently in the Supreme Court and all efforts are being made to resolve the issue amicably. He said the issue should be resolved through continuous dialogue between stakeholders. Sometimes such disputes occur between states and he assured that the issue will be resolved soon.

The Union minister said the Opposition has always criticized the Budget, but in our government, employment opportunities are being provided to the youth.

A WHO report says due to Jal Jeevan Mission, 5.5 crore hours of women have been saved and 3 lakh children’s lives have also been saved after getting clean water from the tap. Under this scheme, 25 lakh women have been given kits and training to check the purity of water coming to their village. Employment opportunities are also being created in other sectors.

In response to another question, the Union minister said every effort is being made to bring awareness among the people to stop wastage of water. Structures will be set up in villages and blocks for water conservation. Wastage of water has to be stopped.

On the issue of releasing water for Delhi, he said at present, 925 MCM water is being supplied to Delhi against the demand of 700 MCM. Hence, sufficient water is supplied to Delhi by Haryana, the minister added.