With water supply from Haryana getting disrupted due to the ongoing Jat agitation, the national capital reeled under an unprecedented water crisis Sunday, forcing the Delhi government to order shuttin
With water supply from Haryana getting disrupted due to the ongoing Jat agitation, the national capital reeled under an unprecedented water crisis Sunday, forcing the Delhi government to order shutting down of all schools in the city on Monday and the rationing of water supply. After a high-level emerge-ncy meeting, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the situation was serious and urged people to conserve water as much as possible.
The Delhi Jal Board said seven out of the city’s nine water treatment plants had been closed due to disruption in supply of raw water from Munak Canal in Haryana, that was under siege by Jat agitators. Given the critical situation, Delhi government had on Saturday night moved the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Centre to intervene and ensure restoration of supply from Munak Canal. The court on Sunday agreed to give an urgent hearing on the matter Monday. Delhi government senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra said the petition had been mentioned before the registrar, who marked the matter for hearing on Monday. The DJB supplies around 900 million gallons of water daily, of which around 600 million gallons of raw water come from Munak Canal.
The Delhi government’s order excludes Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residences of the Prime Minister and CJI, defence installations and hospitals. “Rationing of water will include all sections barring Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residences of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, defence installations, hospitals and fire brigades. “I am appealing to all to conserve water water,” the CM said, adding that his residence and office will also come under water rationing.
Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said schools will be closed on Monday and examinations and the admissions process will be postponed due to the water crisis. “It is feared that there will be no water tomorrow morning and the Delhi government has directed closure of all schools, including private ones, tomorrow. The ongoing examinations and admissions process will be postponed. The situation will be assessed tomorrow and further decisions will be taken afterwards,” Mr Sisodia said.
Calling the crisis “unprecedented”, Mr Kejriwal said the Delhi government had been pressing both Haryana and the Central government since Saturday to seek Army help to open the Munak Canal.
The Jat quota agitation reached Delhi on Sunday as the agitating community held demonstrations at various places across the city, including in Nangloi, Madhuban Chowk, Narela and Najafgarh, leading to severe disruption of traffic on several arterial roads in south, west and outer Delhi.
There also were reports of damage to public property by protesters, who blocked major state border entry points, including the Sindhu border, Nangloi-Bahadurgarh Road, Karnal road, Tikari, Jharoda and Madhuban Chowk in southwest and outer Delhi.
On the water crisis, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said the situation was very serious and water rationing had been started across the city. The DJB supplies around 900 million gallons of water daily, of which around 600 million gallons of raw water come from Munak Canal. The CM said even if Haryana releases water immediately, it will take at least 24 hours more to restore the supply.
He said whatever water was stored in reservoirs is being supplied through tankers. “I had talked to the home minister and CM of Haryana, urging them to resume supply from the canal by sending the Army there. I hope they will be trying it,” he said. The emergency meeting chaired by Mr Kejriwal was attended by Mr Sisodia, water minister Kapil Mishra and officials of the Delhi Jal Board and New Delhi Municipal Council.
Mr Mishra said the city was facing “a never-before water crisis” and urged people to maintain calm. The gates of the canal are closed, he said. The DJB said all local bodies, including NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board, were advised to ensure proper rationing of water.“The Delhi Jal Board appeals to citizens of Delhi to conserve water and use it with utmost care,” it said in a statement.
About one lakh people who commute between Delhi and Haryana were stranded at bus depots and railway stations as both train and bus services were badly affected. There were fears that prices of essential commodities, including fruits, vegetables and milk, may shoot up by 10 to 20 per cent as vehicular movement between Haryana and Delhi was badly affected. The city gets milk and cash-rich crops like tomato, capsicum, cucumber, chillies and brinjal from Haryana.
Though the agitation will not lead to any shortage of essential communities, it is bound to jack up their prices. Former Azadpur Subzi Mandi chairman Rajender Sharma said: “The supplies coming from UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will have to be diverted. That’s why we fear prices of these commodities may go up by 10 to 20 per cent.”
Areas in Delhi with a sizeable presence of Jats have been put under extra surveillance. Among these areas, where security has been beefed up, are Najafgarh, Bijwasan, Vikaspuri, Matiala, Mehrauli, Mundka, Nangloi, Bawana, Narela, Burari, Gokalpuri, Rohtas Nagar, Malviya Nagar, Greater Kailash and R.K. Puram. Jats comprise about 5.5 per cent of the national capital’s total population.
Jats figure in the state list of OBCs in Delhi and UP, while in Rajasthan they are included in both Central and state lists of OBCs. The Central list, however, excludes community members hailing from Bharatpur and Dholpur districts. But in Haryana, Jats are excluded from both the Central and state lists.
