The Haryana government is likely to take legal recourse against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who alleged Haryana to pollute the Yamuna River. The slanderous remarks seem to further escalate an already-on political discord between the neighboring states, with Haryana officials dubbing the accusations defamatory and misleading.
The Allegations
Arvind Kejriwal, by his remarks, has openly blamed the Haryana government for treating the Yamuna River with untreated industrial waste, which has caused high ammonia levels and subsequent water supply interruptions in Delhi. Kejriwal has said it causes pollution in the Yamuna River and has deteriorated the quality of water affecting the health and daily lives of residents in Delhi.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said the river contains ammonia levels of 0.9 parts per million (ppm), a rise above the threshold for safe treatment of only 0.5 ppm. With this spike, big water treatment plants like Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi have reduced water supply by 25% to 30%. This is bound to create acute water shortages in various parts of the capital.
Haryana’s Response
In response to the allegations, Haryana officials have denied any wrongdoing, stating that industrial effluent discharge from the state does comply with said permitted environmental standards. When the Yamuna River exits Haryana, the pollution levels are within permissible limits, they argue. The government of Haryana now wants to take legal steps on what it sees as blatant false accusations on the state and the blackening of its name.
The controversy has strained ties between Aam Aadmi Party and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana further. DJB vice-chairman Vinay Mishra has alleged that it is the political rivalry with regard to Arvind Kejriwal that has kept the BJP-led Haryana government mute to the matter. “The Haryana government has occupied itself with politics and taken a hostile stance, ignoring the well-being of Delhi’s citizens,” he said, alleging that comparatively industrial waste from Haryana contributed significantly.
In turn, the BJP has accused the AAP of not ensuring proper water supply in Delhi. Praveen Shankar Kapoor, Delhi BJP spokesperson, states, “It is very unfortunate how the Delhi government has failed in proper water supply for months now despite good rainfall; there has only been an increase in water shortage and cuts during the festival season.”
Kapoor has further accused the AAP of failing to ensure that sewage treatment plants operate effectively, contributing to the pollution of the Yamuna, and of maintaining water treatment plants with insufficient capacities to manage ammonia contamination.
Environmental and Public Health Concerns
High levels of ammonia in the Yamuna represent a serious threat to the environment and public health. Ammonia-concentrated waters with depleted oxygen levels might endanger aquatic life and render water unfit for human consumption. The Delhi Jal Board raised apprehensions that the high concentration of ammonia would affect the water supply badly resulting in shortages in different regions of Delhi.
Future Perspectives
While Haryana considers legal action, the situation demonstrates the interplay between environmental management and political relations. The outcome of this dispute could have long-lasting results on cooperation between states and governance of shared natural resources; they could start working together and build a dialogue on the causes of Yamuna pollution and find dialogic solutions in which the health of the people from both states is protected.
The escalation between Delhi and Haryana pointed out the tribulations of handling shared environmental resources amid some politically detrimental dialogues. As legally debatable matters become a matter for consideration in the midst of political diplomacies, the issue should guide the way for a resolution that holds the ecological balance and public health at its core.
