Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Tuesday upped the ante on allegations that Haryana was "intentionally" draining industrial waste into the Yamuna by writing to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) urging immediate intervention. The Chief Minister alleged that the ammonia levels in the river, which supplies drinking water to Delhiites, have been rising.
"The facts enlisted in the note of the CEO of Delhi Jal Board make it clear that the DJB Water Treatment Plants are designed to treat ammonia only upto 1 ppm level," Atishi added.
She reiterated her claim that the ammonia levels have been steadily increased in the water coming from Haryana to Delhi due to the mixing of untreated sewage or industrial waste from Haryana. The levels rose over 7 ppm in the last two days i.e. 700% beyond the treatable limit," she alleged.
In her letter, she said this has left Delhi’s water treatment plants almost incapable, resulting in curtailment of water supply by 15 to 20%.
Atishi has described the situation as "an act of water terrorism" and accused the Haryana Government of intentionally disrupting Delhi’s water supply to impact the upcoming elections. "Despite knowing the toxic effects of releasing ammonia in raw water supply, the note of CEO of Delhi Jal Board leaves no doubt that it is due to the indiscriminate and deliberate dumping of untreated sewage and industrial waste from Haryana that is causing the present water supply crisis in Delhi. This is not an act of negligence; it is an act of water terrorism to deliberately impact the conduct of free and fair elections in Delhi," she wrote in the letter.
#WATCH | Delhi: AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal says, "Atishi has again written a letter to the Election Commission today on the issue of water. The CEO of Delhi Jal Board confirmed yesterday that the water coming to Delhi is laced with a poison called ammonia. The Election… pic.twitter.com/0VSi1ilL1U
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2025
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal too joined the chorus and warned Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini against threatening them. "The Election Commission has given time to Bhagwant Mann and Atishi to meet at 4 pm today. Both will attend the meeting," he said.
He also urged Saini not to do politics on water. "Don't try to scare us that you will file a case. I will not let the people of Delhi die. Tell your party not to do dirty politics," Saini added.
Earlier, Saini had lashed out at AAP for the allegations and claimed the Delhi government failed to manage water distribution.
"It is his (Arvind Kejriwal) nature and thinking to allege and then run away. There’s a saying, 'thooko aur bhago (spit and run)'. This is what Kejriwal does. I asked him to send his chief secretary and I will ask mine to check the quality of water at Sonipat from where it (Yamuna) enters Delhi," Saini said.
