Supreme Court Orders Urgent Meeting to Tackle Delhi’s Water Scarcity

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an urgent convening of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) on June 5 to effectively address the issue of water scarcity in Delhi.

Unified Effort to Tackle Crisis

A vacation bench of Justices P K Mishra and KV Vishwanathan was hearing g a plea from the Delhi government, seeking a directive for Haryana to release surplus water, provided by Himachal Pradesh, to alleviate Delhi’s ongoing water crisis.

The vacation bench observed that the representatives for the Centre, and the governments of Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, unanimously agreed to convene a meeting of the UYRB to tackle Delhi’s water scarcity problem.

During the proceedings, all parties concurred on adopting a non-adversarial approach towards resolving Delhi’s water scarcity issue, the bench noted.

Urgent Meeting Scheduled

It was further stated that the legal counsels have reached a consensus on scheduling an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board on June 5, with a sincere intent to address the concerns raised in the petition and related matters concerning the water scarcity problem faced by Delhi residents.

The bench directed that the case be listed for hearing on June 6, alongside the minutes of the board meeting and proposed action steps by stakeholders to resolve the issue.

The petition, filed by Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi, has named the Centre, the BJP-led Haryana government, and the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government as respondents. It contends that access to water is crucial for survival and a fundamental human right.

Specific Demands

The petition specifically seeks a directive to the Haryana government for the immediate and continuous release of water at the Wazirabad barrage, including the full surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh for the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

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