As the city continues to reel under acute water crisis, Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Sunday wrote a letter to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini urging him to ensure the release of 1,050 cusecs of water from the Munak Canal.

Expressing concern over the water crisis in the national capital, the minister if the neighbouring state doesn’t oblige to her request, the situation in Delhi is likely to worsen in one or two days.

Atishi informed that she also sought time from Lieutenant Governor Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena for an emergency meeting to apprise him of the situation arising from the being crisis.

In an official communiqué, the water minister informed Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini that the seven Water Treatment Plants (WIPs) in Delhi dependent on Yamuna water are unable to function to optimum level due to a deficit of raw water.

She said with the water flow in Munak Canal decreasing to 840 cusecs the city’s water treatment plants won’t be able to pump out adequate water required for the supply.

“If Haryana doesn’t release adequate water by today, Delhi will have a major crisis in the next 1-2 days. Therefore, I humbly request you to ensure the release of 1,050 cusecs of water from Munak Canal for Delhi,” read Atishi’s letter to the Haryana CM.

She said she sought Haryana CM’s urgent intervention on the issue of non-release of water into the Yamuna River.

Taking to social media platform X, Atishi wrote, “Have written to the Hon’ble Haryana CM regarding the inadequate release of water from the Munak Canal by Haryana.”

In her letter, Atishi cited the agreement reached in the 53rd meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board held in May 2018 that had allocated around 1,050 cusec (568 MGD) of water to Delhi from Munak through CLC and DSB Canals. Considering the transmission loss, the allocation of the 1,050 cusecs at Munak corresponds to about 1,013 Cusec (548 MGD).

The Delhi minister’s letter explained that the measurement was done by flow meters installed by Delhi at the Bawana contact point, where the water enters the city, and further said that meters were checked by representatives of the Upper Yamuna River Board, last week itself.

On average, the water received at the Bawana contact point even in the summers is between 980 and 1030 cusecs, her letter said, adding that, however in the last week this has seen a drastic reduction, and on June seven it dropped to 840 cusecs.

Atishi, in the past couple of days, visited the Wazirabad barrage and took stock of the situation at the Munak sub-canals contact point at Bawana on Saturday, following which she claimed that less water was coming in through the two feeder canals.

Meanwhile, several areas in the city are reeling under water shortage, depending on the supply of water tankers amid the scorching heat. The Delhi government has taken measures to curb water wastage with provisions of a fine if someone is found washing their vehicles with open pipes and also put a ban on using potable water supply in construction works.

Special teams have been constituted to keep a check on water wastage across the city, while a control room has been set up to monitor water tanker availability in the affected areas.