The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Upper Yamuna River Board to call for an emergency meeting of all stakeholder states on June 5 to resolve the water crisis being faced by the residents of Delhi and submit the status report by June 6.
The Vacation Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Viswanathan were hearing a writ petition filed by the Delhi government seeking directions to the State of Haryana for the immediate release of water to the crisis-hit national capital.
The Court asked the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, to facilitate the Board’s meeting on June 5 so that the crisis can be resolved.
The case pertains to a petition filed by the Delhi Government in the Supreme Court stating that the capital was facing an acute shortage of water due to the severe heatwave conditions prevailing in North India.
The Delhi government had requested the Apex Court to intervene in directing the neighbouring states to cooperate with Delhi as it is an emergent situation.
The Delhi government admitted before the Top Court that Himachal Pradesh had agreed to share its surplus water with Delhi, but cooperation was required from the State of Haryana to avert the crisis.
Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the Delhi Government said that it is the reciprocal obligation of Haryana and it must come to Delhi’s aid in resolving the water and sanitation crisis.
To this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta replied that the Board can meet and arrange for additional water, but the Delhi government must stop wasting nearly 50% of water supplied to the national capital.
The Delhi government clarified that the assistance for additional water supply was sought merely as a stop-gap arrangement to deal with the current crisis, without prejudice to any inter-state water dispute and/or the capital’s claim over shared water resources.
