SC Directs Haryana to Facilitate Flow of Surplus Water

• 07 Jun 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the Supreme Court allowed Himachal Pradesh to release 137 cusecs (a unit of flow equal to 1 cubic foot per second) of surplus water and directing the Haryana government to ensure uninterrupted flow of this water to Delhi from the Hathnikund barrage to address the drinking water crisis.

Key Points

• The court asked the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to measure water released by Himachal Pradesh at Hathnikund in Haryana.
• Amid the water shortage in the national capital, the Delhi government had approached the Supreme Court to get immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana.
  • Delhi government in its plea said that it is constrained to file the petition on account of the acute shortage of water being faced by the people of Delhi, triggered by the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in Delhi.

Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB)

• Upper Yamuna River Board is a subordinate office under Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Chief Ministers of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and National Capital Territory of Delhi on 12^th May, 1994 regarding allocation of utilizable surface flow of River Yamuna upto Okhla Barrage among the co-basin States.
  • The MoU provides for creation of a board called Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB).