New Delhi, June 18
Haryana today strongly snubbed the Delhi Government for holding it responsible for its drinking water woes and promised to continue the existing water supply agreement.

Pointing out that the state was facing flak for actually helping Delhi, a high-level Haryana team led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda presented figures to correct the “wrong perception”.

Team Hooda met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the presence of Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal and the Secretary Water Resources. Each argument against Haryana was rebutted while it was agreed that water flow to Delhi would continue as per its share. Hooda said the entire country was facing a water crisis. He reiterated that Delhi had been getting more than its allocated share of water. “It is incorrect to say that Haryana stopped flow of water. We have not stopped water to Delhi even for a single day,” he said.

Haryana pointed out that Delhi was being given more water than what was agreed under the Yamuna Water Accord, 1994. “Delhi’s share is 6 per cent of all water flow of the Yamuna and that works out between 238-252 cusecs at Wazirabad head-works (in Delhi),” Haryana’s Principal Secretary Irrigation KK Jalan said.

Delhi has neither asked for re-calculation of its share and nor has it questioned the 1994 accord that allocated water between Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

The Haryana team is also learnt to have asked Delhi why it was not completing its 20 km portion of the 102-km Moonak Canal that would carry some 620 cusecs of water to the National Capital. “Haryana has spent Rs 450 crore on the canal while Delhi, the beneficiary state, has not yet completed its portion that was to be ready by 2009,” said an official.

Hooda said all communication gaps had been addressed. “It was agreed at the meeting that Haryana was giving more water than what is Delhi share. Delhi was also asked to cover the unfinished opening in the Carrier Link Canal (CLC) that took water to Delhi,” he said.