Haryana responds to allegations of diversion of water in flood-hit Delhi

Hours after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately diverting water towards flood-hit Delhi through the Hathnikund Barrage with the help of the Haryana government, Haryana’s Home Minister Anil Vij responded to the allegations. He stated that water also comes to Haryana from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, but instead of blaming anyone, they are focused on making necessary arrangements.

The minister explained that even in our state, water comes from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, but we are not pointing fingers at anyone. They are actively working on making the necessary arrangements. He raised the question that all the villages and cities along the Yamuna River have received the same amount of water. So, why would we intentionally release water only in our districts?”

This response came after Delhi Minister Atishi questioned Haryana about the release of all the water from the Hathnikund Barrage solely for Delhi. She expressed concern about the absence of any water being released into the canals leading to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Atishi held Haryana responsible and demanded an explanation, questioning whether the flood situation in Delhi could have been avoided.

The AAP has blamed Haryana for the flood-like situation in Delhi. Earlier, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, along with AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, addressed a press conference. They highlighted that in cases of floods, water is typically released from the Hathnikund Barrage towards Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi in balanced quantities. However, from July 9 to 13, all the water was released towards Delhi, while neglecting the other two states. They argued that if the water had been distributed equally among all three states, the areas adjacent to the Yamuna in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh would have been safe.

Sanjay Singh emphasized that five states, including Delhi, are currently facing the brunt of the floods in the country. He questioned why Delhi, despite not having any rainfall in the last three days, is still experiencing a constant rise in the water level of the Yamuna, leading to flooding in low-lying areas of the city.

The Rajya Sabha MP further alleged that the intentional diversion of water from the Hathnikund Barrage towards Delhi was causing flooding in certain parts of the city.