Delhi contributes 79% of the pollution load in the Yamuna river, the Haryana government told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.
Citing a November 2006 report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Haryana told a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao that Delhi contributes 79% of the pollution load in the river, while the pollution load of Panipat and Sonipat cities in Haryana is shown to be five per cent.
"[The] Yamuna marginally get polluted in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand before the water is received at Tajewala," the Haryana government said.
At the last hearing, the Delhi government told the court that the water meant for the city was polluted and Delhi was not getting clean water because Haryana was not allowing clean water to flow into the Yamuna. The Delhi government has also said that national capital is facing scarcity of clean water due to Haryana obstructing the flow of the river.
On Tuesday, the Haryana government told the court that direction has been issued to remove the 'bundhs' . Haryana also told the court it keeps releasing nearly 1050 cusecs water from the Munak canal for Delhi.
"It is the population of Haryana only which suffers the vagaries of a lean season, and not Delhi, as the water works in Haryana would be partly filled/unfilled for some duration," the Haryana government said in a reply.
"Therefore Delhi should take urgent measures to reduce their losses which are alleged to be 10 per cent in treatment and 30% post treatment. Some treatment and post-treatment loses are inevitable, but losses to the extent as projected by DJB are unpardonable and can be termed as criminal wastage of precious raw water."
The HC bench listed the matter for further hearing on March 13.
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate S.B. Tripathi, who has sought direction to the DJB to provide 100% sewage facility to the entire city and the Central government to provide financial assistance to the DJB for the work.
The plea said that in 2016, the DJB had told the court that only 55%of the Delhi population was covered by the sewage facility and there was no sewage facility available to the remaining 45 per cent.
Tripathi said that since 330 cusecs of water was supplied by Haryana through a 'kutcha' canal, 50% of water was being lost to seepage and Delhi got only about 170-180 cusec water per day.
