Allegations of release of excess water misleading, says Haryana CM adviser

Chandigarh: Adviser (irrigation) to the Haryana chief minister, Devender Singh has termed the statement by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the rise in the water level of the Yamuna as baseless and beyond facts. “The Delhi chief minister’s claim that Yamuna’s water level has risen due to the release of surplus water from the Hathnikund barrage is absolutely false. It appears that his officers did not inform him of the accurate details. The letter written by Arvind Kejriwal to the Union home minister in this regard holds no significance,” said Singh.The structure at Hathnikund is designed to divert/regulate the water, added Singh. Only a dam, not a barrage, can control water in limited quantities. It is also worth noting that following the Central Water Commission (CWC) recommendations, the water discharged into the Yamuna for protecting the barrage is constantly coming from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand due to excessive rains, he informed. Singh further said that as it has led to land erosion and water-logging in Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat, Haryana has to bear a heavy loss of life and property. If there was any option to release water in limited quantities, it would have been even in the interest of Haryana, he added.Hathnikund barrage is on the Yamuna in Yamunanagar. It was designed by the CWC and built between 1998 and 2000 to replace the earlier Tajewala barrage. The structure at Hathnikund caters to the partner states as per the 1994 agreement/memorandum. There is no way to store water in this barrage. According to the CWC guidelines, when more than one lakh cusecs of water come into it, the water automatically goes into the Yamuna. If an attempt is made to stop the water coming in, it can damage all the gates of the barrage and this water can turn into a fierce flood and cause huge destruction in Haryana and Delhi.
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