In a first, Haryana releases more water to clean Yamuna in Delhi for Chhath Puja

This reversal is different from the usual pattern at Hathnikund, where canal outflows remain about four times higher than river discharge, as per recent data by the CWC this week. During most of the monsoon, canal flow averaged 410 to 440 cumecs, while the river carried only 220 to 250 cumecs, data shows.

A senior official from the Haryana Irrigation Department said water will be diverted “for three to four days” to help ensure cleaner water in the Yamuna during the festival. “The water from Bhakra Dam is sufficient, and there is no shortage at present. The pond is filled up, and the demand for drinking water is being met. There is also no agricultural demand right now, which has allowed this diversion,” the official said.

He added that although no written directive was issued, an internal action plan was formulated in consultation with Delhi government officials. “Haryana is trying to manage its own water requirements from its share, while helping Delhi ensure that people can celebrate Chhath safely along the riverbanks,” the official said, adding: “If there is no clean water, then lakhs of people who perform the rituals in the Yamuna are affected…Haryana is really making a sacrifice.”

The Carrier Lined Channel (CLC), part of the Western Yamuna Canal network, supplies water to Delhi and parts of Haryana. It was built to reduce transmission losses and ensure water sharing is adequate between the two states. According to the 1981 water-sharing agreement between Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan under the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Haryana receives a fixed quota from the Bhakra Canal system that currently meets both its drinking and irrigation needs.

Officials maintained that the current step has not created any shortage since canal-fed water treatment plants in Delhi — including those at Haiderpur, Bhawana and Nangloi — are receiving sufficient supply from the Bhakra system. However, this would affect hydropower production, experts pointed out.

Bhim Singh Rawat from the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) said the move should have followed a formal consultation process. “These decisions affect hydropower generation and water supply in Haryana villages. If the government can increase the river’s flow for Chhath, why not for maintaining environmental flow through the year?” he said.

Rawat pointed out that last year, despite a cleaner spell of monsoon and no major floods, the river’s condition during Chhath was far worse. “This shows the absence of a long-term river governance policy. Ecological flows shouldn’t be linked only to festivals … fluctuating levels make it harder for aquatic systems to adapt, especially during lean summer months,” he said.

While the extra flow this week has noticeably reduced frothing and dark water at stretches downstream of Wazirabad, experts said that a sustained ecological discharge is the only way to maintain the Yamuna’s health beyond the festive season.

The Haryana Irrigation Department has also asked district administrations to ensure that untreated or partially treated wastewater does not enter the river during the festive period. “District-wise action plans have been drawn up for short- and long-term measures. Funds will be required to implement some of these steps,” another senior official said.