Hooda urges NCR Planning Board to clear drinking water projects

New Delhi, Aug 21 (UNI) Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today urged the NCR Planning Board to support Haryana in getting necessary clearance and sanction for Renuka, Kishau and Lakhwar Vyasi upstream storage dams on river Yamuna for the long term solution to the drinking water problems of Delhi and NCR area.

Speaking at 30th meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board here, the Chief Minister said that although the above storage sites were identified long ago and the MoU, signed on May 12, 1994, provided for their early construction, no significant work had started so far on any of these dams.

Haryana had taken up this matter with the Union Minister of Water Resources on several occasions. ''I am of the view that this matter brooks no further delay and if need be, a meeting of the concerned States should be convened under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. I request the Board to support Haryana in getting the necessary clearance and sanction for these projects'', he added.

Mr Hooda reminded that even after signing of the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, more than three MAF of water was allowed to flow into Pakistan. ''I would like to ask the Board why the precious national water resource was allowed to be wasted'', he opined.

The Chief Minister stressed the need for construction of storage on tributaries of river Ravi, a barrage and a link canal from Ravi to Beas upstream Harrike for which Haryana had already submitted a concept report.

The Chief Minister had raised the issue in the earlier meetings also to assess the requirement of critical inputs like water and power. He was of the opinion that NCR should be treated as one integrated unit. Therefore, while preparing projects for augmenting the water supply through utilisation of 'Ganga water', not only the requirement of Delhi but the requirement of entire NCR including Haryana should be taken into account.

He said that Haryana government had raised the issue of pollution in river Yamuna at various forums, adding that the primary concern in this regard was the release of untreated/partially treated sewage and industrial effluents into river Yamuna through 19 drains of Delhi Territory and Shahdara drain from Uttar Pradesh in Delhi Territory.

''Our stand was vindicated by the fact that the Prime Minister had indicated his concern about this problem. Keeping in view the magnitude of the problem, he had set up a High Level Committee in this regard. This would hopefully provide relief to the people of Haryana whose health had been endangered on this account'', he added.

Mr Hooda urged the Chairman, NCR Planning Board to allocate sufficient funds for undertaking projects for cleaning of Yamuna river.

UNI