Delhi Water Crisis: SC Urges Centre to Convene Upper Yamuna River Board Meeting

The Supreme Court on Monday urged the Centre to convene an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) on June 5 to address Delhi’s severe water crisis amid the summer heat and rising demand. The court also directed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to take proactive measures to prevent water wastage and detect leakages in Delhi.

“There shall be an emergent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board on June 5, 2024, to address the issues agitated in this petition and all other connected issues in right earnest so that problems of scarcity of water for the citizens of Delhi should be properly addressed. Post this matter on Thursday (June 6) along with the minutes of the meeting and the suggested steps,” ordered a vacation bench of justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and KV Viswanathan.

The court was hearing a petition by the Delhi government for a directive to Haryana to release surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh through the Wazirabad Barrage. Himachal Pradesh agreed to share its surplus water with Delhi, but since it does not share a physical boundary with Delhi, the water must be released through the Wazirabad Barrage in Haryana.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the AAP government, stated that the plea aims to mitigate the water crisis through a one-time measure of using additional water from Himachal Pradesh. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and Haryana, pointed out that the issue is pending before the UYRB, which has asked Himachal Pradesh for details of the additional water.

The court emphasized the need for a high-level meeting to consider the plea and other necessary measures to address the water crisis. “Why can’t there be a joint meeting of all the stakeholders? Let there be a high-level meeting today or tomorrow. As an emergency measure, convene a meeting as soon as possible,” the bench told the SG, who accepted the suggestion but stressed that the meeting should occur before the UYRB, the statutory body for such issues.

The UYRB, established in 1995, regulates the allocation and management of the Upper Yamuna Basin’s water resources. The board was constituted based on a memorandum of understanding signed by Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi in 1994.

SG Mehta highlighted substantial water losses in Delhi, with only 48.65 litres out of every 100 litres reaching the people due to leakage, the tanker mafia, and industrial theft. The court agreed that addressing internal inefficiencies is as crucial as securing additional water supplies from neighboring states.

The Delhi government’s petition, filed on May 31, highlighted the acute heatwave and red alert conditions in Delhi, with temperatures soaring to a record-breaking 52.3 degrees Celsius. The petition emphasized the unprecedented surge in water demand and the critically reduced water levels at the Wazirabad Barrage, threatening the health and well-being of Delhi’s 25 million residents.

Despite administrative measures to optimize and ration water supply, the shortage remains acute, necessitating additional water from Himachal Pradesh through the Wazirabad Barrage in Haryana. The petition clarified that this request is a stop-gap measure to address the crisis until the monsoon arrives.

Citing a 1996 Supreme Court order directing Haryana to ensure water supply through the Yamuna River during a similar crisis, the Delhi government argued that the present situation is much more severe and urgent, calling for the Court’s intervention to prevent a severe health crisis. The petition underscored that access to water is a fundamental human right essential for sustaining life and maintaining dignity and quality of life under Article 21 of the Constitution.