The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to call an emergent meeting of all the stakeholder-states on June 5 to address the problem of water scarcity in the national capital in the midst of soaring mercury in an unprecedented summer heat wave.

Directing the Upper Yamuna River Board to convene an urgent meeting of the stakeholder states — Haryana and Himachal Pradesh — a vacation bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K V Viswanathan further ordered that the minutes and the suggestion of steps to be taken be placed before it, as the bench posted the matter for further hearing on June 6.

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“There shall be an emergent meeting of Upper Yamuna River Board on June 5, 2024, to address the issues agitated in this petition and all other connected issues in right earnest so that the problem of scarcity of water for the citizens of Delhi should be properly addressed. Post this matter on Thursday -June 6, along with the minutes of the meeting and the suggested steps,” the bench said in its order.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Delhi government told the bench that there is an extreme heatwave in Delhi and that the water level at the Wazirabad plant must be maintained.

“Why cannot there be a joint meeting of all the stakeholders? ” the bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing both the Central and the Haryana governments in the hearing.

Telling the bench that the Upper Yamuna River Board is already considering the matter, Solicitor General Mehta pointed to the alleged wastage of water in the city. He said the Delhi government must stop 50 per cent wastage of water supplied to the national capital.

However, Himachal Pradesh told the bench that it was ready to provide water to Delhi through its canal network via Haryana.

On May 31, the Delhi government had approached the top court to get immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana. It has said that the people of Delhi were faced with an acute shortage of water because of the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in Delhi.

The Delhi government has sought direction to Haryana government for immediate and continuous release of water at the Wazirabad barrage. It has sought the surplus release of water by Haryana as a one-time solution to redress the present emergency and resolve the ongoing water crisis in Delhi.

The plea by Delhi government said that because of record-high temperatures and heatwave in Delhi, which has resulted in maximum temperature soaring up to around 50 degrees Celsius at some places, have caused an extraordinary and excessive surge in water demand in the city.

As a consequence, the plea by the Delhi government said, the national capital is faced with a water shortage resulting in frequent supply cuts in many parts of the NCT of Delhi, and has disrupted the daily life of the ordinary residents.

“Himachal Pradesh does not share a physical boundary with the NCT of Delhi. Therefore, the excess /surplus water released by Himachal Pradesh, has to be transported through the existing water channels/river systems in Haryana and released to Delhi at the Wazirabad barrage. Therefore, Haryana’s facilitation and cooperation, which is not being provided as on date, is imperative,” says the petition by Delhi government.

The Delhi government said that it has already raised the issue of unrelenting heat and the consequent water crisis in the national capital with Haryana and has requested it to release the surplus water in the Wazirabad barrage, however, Haryana is yet to accede to such request.

“Be that as it may, by way of the instant petition, the Petitioner- Delhi government does not intend to shift the blame on Haryana or any other State, and only prays for an immediate resolution of the ongoing water crisis in the national capital through the release of the surplus water — including but not limited to surplus water being provided by Himachal Pradesh in the Wazirabad barrage – by Haryana,” the petition has stated.