Delhi has been facing a severe water crisis as an intense heatwave. (File)
Reeling under a stark water shortage worsened by a harsh summer, Delhi is set to get additional water supply from Himachal Pradesh. The hill state must release 137 cusecs of additional water to Delhi, ordered the Supreme Court on Thursday, and asked Haryana to facilitate the water flow from Himachal to Delhi.
"The Haryana government should allow the flow of water, which is being received from Himachal, to reach Wazirabad in Delhi without any hindrance so that the people of Delhi get drinking water," the court said.
Haryana, however, said there is no mechanism to measure and separate this additional water received from Himachal. A vacation bench of Justices Prashant K Mishra and KV Viswanathan noted Himachal had agreed to supply the additional water and rejected Haryana's argument.
There should be no politics over water, the bench said.
"There is no dispute that Delhi is going through a severe crisis of drinking water in the heatwave. Haryana is also going through a heatwave but there is no data of water shortage," said the court.
The Supreme Court also asked the Delhi government to ensure water is not wasted during this period. It has sought a status report by Monday, when the matter will be heard again.
Delhi has been facing a severe water crisis as an intense heatwave swept the northwestern region over the past month. The temperatures recorded across the city were in the 40-50 degrees range. A death due to heatstroke was also recorded in the capital city.
The city government reached out to the Centre and Supreme Court last month seeking additional water supply from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh for a month. "Delhi's need for water has increased in the scorching heat. It is everyone's responsibility to fulfill the needs of the country's capital," its petition said.