New Delhi: In a threatening tone that inappropriate water supply may hinder water supply in President House and Embassies, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has written letters to lieutenant governor Anil Baijal as well as to his counterpart in Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, seeking the supply of the same amount of water as the neighbouring state has been doing for the past 22 years.

He also expressed worry that disruption in water supply by Haryana would affect the functioning of the Chandrawal water treatment plant, which supplies water to VIP areas of Delhi, including Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament and various embassies.

Worried that the shortfall in water supply by Haryana would turn into a summer-time crisis, Kejriwal urged the LG to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and the Union water resources minister. Haryana has allegedly reduced raw Yamuna water supply to Delhi and many areas in the capital have been receiving water at low pressure in the past few days. The fall in water supply has also affected the work at two water treatment plants at Wazirabad and Chandrawal.

In the letters, Kejriwal talked of an unprecedented water shortage facing Delhi if Haryana reduced supply from May 21, the date up to which the neighbouring state assured the Supreme Court it would supply water at current levels. Delhi has been receiving 1,133 cusecs of water from Haryana since 1996. Kejriwal urged Baijal to “use his office to persuade Haryana to continue the supply of same level of water”.

In his letter to Khattar, Kejriwal wrote, “Delhi has been facing a shortage of drinking water supply from December 30 last year, first because of increased pollution levels at Wazirabad and from April 2 on account of reduced water release through Diversion Drain-8/river Yamuna. This has led to the Wazirabad pond not being filled up to the desired level due to which drinking water production has been affected at Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants. Supply of water through Delhi Sub Branch and Carrier Line Channel has reduced by 100 cusecs.”

The CM pointed out that water demand surged during summer by up to 20% of normal, which “makes water rationalisation in distribution difficult”. With monsoon rains expected only in July, Kejriwal requested a status quo in the supply of water from Haryana.