June 13th 2024.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India instructed the Delhi government to reach out to the Upper Yamuna River Board for assistance with their water supply. This came after Himachal Pradesh, who had previously stated that they would be able to spare water for Delhi, changed their stance and informed the court that they were unable to provide the promised amount of water.
The vacation bench, consisting of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale, ordered the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB by 5pm, requesting water supply for the national capital on humanitarian grounds. This decision was made in light of the Himachal Pradesh government's statement that they do not have a surplus of 136 cusecs of water, and have therefore withdrawn their earlier promise.
The bench recognized the complexity and sensitivity of the issue of sharing Yamuna water between states and acknowledged that the court does not possess the technical expertise to make a decision, even on a temporary basis. They suggested that the matter be left to the body established through the 1994 memorandum of understanding between the involved parties.
Since the UYRB had already instructed Delhi to submit an application for water supply on humanitarian grounds, the bench directed that the application be made by 5pm on the same day, if it had not been already. The board was also ordered to hold a meeting the following day and make a decision on the matter as soon as possible.
The case before the court was brought by the Delhi government, who had requested that Haryana release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to alleviate the water shortage in the national capital. This issue has been a pressing concern for Delhi, and the court is taking steps to address it.
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