In a first,Haryana’sIrrigation and Water Resources Department, in coordination with authorities in Delhi, has diverted nearly all water discharged from theHathnikundBarrage into theYamunariver, while also sharply reducing the flow into theWestern and EasternYamunaCanals — a rare move to ensure cleaner water forChhathPujacelebrations in the Capital.
According to data from the Central Water Commission (CWC), the canal outflow atHathnikunddropped sharply from 198.5cumecsat 5 am on Tuesday to 14.44cumecsby 6 am, before reaching zero by evening as the canal supply was fully diverted. During the same period, the river outflow equaled the inflow and peaked at 293.81cumecsover 10,000cusecs)at 7 pm, allowing fresh water to flush through theYamunachannel that runs through Delhi.
This reversal is different from the usual pattern atHathnikund, where canal outflows remain about four times higher than river discharge, as per recent data by theCWCthis week. During most of the monsoon, canal flow averaged 410 to 440 cumecs, while the river carried only 220 to 250 cumecs, data shows.
A senior official from theHaryanaIrrigation Department said water will be diverted“forthree to fourdays”to help ensure cleaner water in theYamunaduring the festival.“Thewater fromBhakraDam is sufficient, and there is no shortage at present. The pond is filled up, and the demand for drinking water is being met. There is also no agricultural demand right now, which has allowed this diversion,” the official said.
He added that although no written directive was issued, an internal action plan was formulated in consultation with Delhi government officials.“Haryanais trying to manage its own water requirements from its share, while helping Delhi ensure that people can celebrateChhathsafely along the riverbanks,” the official said,adding:“Ifthere is no clean water, thenlakhsof people who perform the rituals in theYamunaare affected…Haryana is really making asacrifice.”
The Carrier Lined Channel (CLC), part of the WesternYamunaCanal network, supplies water to Delhi and parts ofHaryana.It was built to reduce transmission losses and ensure water sharing is adequate between the two states. According to the 1981 water-sharing agreement between Punjab, Haryana, andRajasthanunder theBhakraBeasManagement Board (BBMB),Haryanareceives a fixed quota from theBhakraCanal system that currently meets both its drinking and irrigation needs.
Officials maintained that the current step has not created any shortage since canal-fed water treatment plants in Delhi — including those at Haiderpur,BhawanaandNangloi— are receiving sufficient supply from theBhakrasystem. However, this would affecthydropowerproduction, experts pointed out.
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BhimSinghRawatfrom the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People(SANDRP)said the move should have followed a formal consultation process.“Thesedecisions affecthydropowergeneration and water supply inHaryanavillages. If the government can increase theriver’sflow for Chhath, why not for maintaining environmental flow through theyear?”he said.
Rawatpointed out that last year, despite a cleaner spell of monsoon and no major floods, theriver’scondition duringChhathwas far worse.“Thisshows the absence of a long-term river governance policy. Ecological flowsshouldn’tbe linked only to festivals … fluctuating levels make it harder for aquatic systems to adapt, especially during lean summer months,” he said.
While the extra flow this week has noticeably reduced frothing and dark water at stretches downstream of Wazirabad, experts said that a sustained ecological discharge is the only way to maintain theYamuna’shealth beyond the festive season.
TheHaryanaIrrigation Department has also asked district administrations to ensure that untreated or partially treatedwastewaterdoes not enter the river during the festive period. “District-wise action plans have been drawn up for short- and long-term measures. Funds will be required to implement some of these steps,” another senior official said.
