‘Water terrorism’: Atishi writes to CEC over ‘Yamuna contamination’

In a strongly worded letter to the CEC, the AAP leaders said “… denying their rightful share of water to 34 lakh people of Delhi amounts to water terrorism, and is a blatant attempt to cause panic and chaos across Delhi thereby influencing the free and fair nature of Delhi elections … We urgently solicit your intervention into the matter within 24 hours so that only pure raw water is released so that ammonia levels can be diluted…”

The AAP leaders have claimed in the letter that ammonia levels in the river had spiked sharply over the past four days, affecting water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla.

Addressing the media, Atishi on Monday said, “The BJP is afraid of its expectant historic failure in the upcoming elections, which is why it is resorting to repugnant tactics… Wazirabad, Chandawal, and Okhla water treatment plants run with the raw Yamuna water from the Wazirabad barrage. Over the past four days, with a plan to make the plants defunct, Haryana’s BJP government has started to release industrial waste into the Yamuna River to disrupt the water supply of the people in Delhi.”

She added this will have an impact in other areas too, including Civil Lines, Hindu Rao, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, Jhandewala, Patel Nagar, Wazirpur, Punjabi Bagh, and Model Town.

On the ammonia level, Atishi claimed it to be the “highest-ever surge” recorded. According to the letter, the ammonia levels exceeded the treatable limit of 1 part per million (ppm).

“The BJP-led Haryana government is releasing toxic water to the Capital… Does the party want to starve to death 30% of Delhi’s population? The people of Delhi will reply to the BJP for this sin on February 5,” said Atishi.

Lashing out at the AAP and party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Saini said, “Haryana supplies water to Delhi from Sonipat, which can be inspected by anyone to see what kind of water we are supplying to Delhi. Kejriwal has a habit of levelling baseless allegations and then running away.”

“I asked them (AAP dispensation in Delhi) to send their chief secretary and said I will ask my chief secretary to check the quality of water. “There is no shortage. If there is deficiency, it is in their will… Their water distribution is not proper,” Saini said, accusing the AAP of failing to fulfil its poll promises.

Delhi Jal Board CEO Shilpa Shinde in a letter to the Chief Secretary, GNCTD, also responded to CM Atishi’s claims. “… such false statements lead to fear-mongering among city residents and also adversely impact relations with the upper riparian state of Haryana,” the letter read. The CEO stated that like every year, ammonia in Yamuna started increasing since October.

The AAP government in Delhi and the BJP government in Haryana have sparred earlier too over water distribution. In June last year, Atishi went on a hunger strike, alleging that the Haryana government has been responsible for the severe water crisis in Delhi.