Delhi government has sought an immediate intervention of the Union government and the Central Pollution Control Board for stopping Panipat drain discharge into the Yamuna by its Haryana counterpart, following sudden rise in ammonia level in the river.
The move comes after Delhi Jal Board (DJB) found black water flowing into Yamuna from the Panipat drain with ammonia levels of 56 ppm which is more than 100 times the permissible level of 0.5 ppm.
Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra said he has requested the Haryana governmemt to stop the water flow from the drain.
"We request Haryana to shut down Panipat drain especially when the Munak canal is broken and water is being re-routed to Delhi from elsewhere," Mishra tweeted.
In view of the rise in ammonia level in Yamuna, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has shut down its Wazirabad and Chandrawal Water Treatment Plants due to which there has been water shortage in north and central Delhi.
"We are writing to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Home Secretary, and Union Ministry of Water resources to immediately resolve this issue and ensure that lakhs of households in Delhi do not suffer due to violation of rules by Haryana government," Mishra told reporters here.
The minister further said that talks are on between Harayana and Delhi's chief secretary to resolve the issue.
According to Mishra, the flow of contaminated water is in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines, CPCB orders and inter-state agreements.
On Friday, the city government directed officials to prepare a backup plan for alternative sources of water so that residents do not face problems in the event of agitations like the Jat quota stir in Haryana.
According to the government, the DJB has been asked to prepare a plan so that the city has 7-10 days of water backup to cope with any crisis.
During the quota stir, members of the Jat community had damaged the Munak Canal which is the main source of water supply the national capital.
