Delhi assured water from Tehri Hydro Project for Sonia Vihar Plant

New Delhi, Apr 10 (UNI) Understanding the urgent need to resolve Delhi's water crisis created by non-release of water by Uttar Pradesh, Union Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde today said all efforts will be made to persuade the UP government to release water for the national capital as early as possible.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit met the Mr Shinde today at Shram Shakti Bhawan on the issue of release of 300 cusecs of water for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant from the Tehri Hydro Project.

She requested him to use his good offices for release of water from UP at the earliest by convincing Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Mr Shinde agreed with the Chief Minister that there was a need for urgently resolving the matter and added that all efforts would be made to persuade the UP government to release water for Delhi sooner than later.

Noting that the requirements of the capital of the country could not be denied, he said that he would impress upon the UP chief minister for immediate release of adequate quantity of water to enable both flushing and commissioning of Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant.

Appreciating the urgency expressed by the Delhi chief minister in view of the coming summer period, he indicated that he would be personally taking up the matter with Mr Yadav as he was scheduled to meet him very shortly.

Mr Shinde noted that Mr Yadav had on October 5, 2004, written to the Delhi Chief Minister assuring that the agreed quantity of 300 cusecs would be made available. It was also appreciated that in December 2004, the UP government had released 80 cusecs of water for about two and half months to enable flushing of the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant.

However, on March 14 last year water supply to the plant was abruptly stopped.

Ms Dikshit mentioned to Mr Shinde, the efforts that had been made for securing release of water, including the request made to the Union Water Resources Ministry.

It was pointed out that Minister of Water Resources had not only written to the UP chief minister for releasing water immediately but had also spoken with him on the matter.

Ms Dikshit mentioned that the Sonia Vihar Water supply scheme had been got ready at a cost of Rs 750 crore to synchronise with the release of water from Tehri Hydro Dam.

Also, the entire conduit for supply of water from Murad Nagar upto the plant had been got constructed as a deposit work by the UP Jal Nigam.

Besides the question of public funds invested in the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant or those spent on the Tehri Project, the important issue was of meeting the drinking water needs of the people of Delhi.

Ms Dikshit pointed out that the Tehri Dam Project was techno-economically cleared by Central Electricity Authority at the meeting held on August 12, 1988.

At the time of the appraisal and clearance of the project, the CEA considered all relevant factors and specifically made the clearance subject to the agreement of the UP government to reserve 300 cusecs of water for meeting the drinking water requirements of Delhi. At that time, the UP government had unequivocally agreed to this condition.

Tehri Dam was now ready and releasing sufficient water. However, Delhi was yet to receive the promised quantity from UP.

Ms Dikshit mentioned that the reservation of 300 cusecs of water for Delhi was one of the stated benefits justifying Tehri Hydro Project and it was an essential element for approval of the project by the CEA, and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

She emphasised that the release of 300 cusecs of water was an entitlement of the state of Delhi on account of its drinking water requirement which, as per the National Water Policy, took precedent over all the other requirements.

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