Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday told chief minister Sheila Dikshit that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be informed about the urgency to take up the issue of shortage of water in the capital after Ms Dikshit told the plan panel that “radical measures” are needed to deal with the increasing water shortage in the city.
The issue of water shortage was discussed threadbare in the Planning Commission meeting with Ms Dikshit. Delhi’s Annual Plan size of `15,135 crores was also approved in the meeting, which is a jump of over 30 per cent over last year.
Sources said that Ms Dikshit suggested three options to deal with the acute water shortage in the city. “The first was the Renuka dam in Himachal Pradesh which is facing objection from the Union environment ministry. Second was deep tunnelling to transport surplus water from the over-supplied areas to the less-supplied areas within the city. The third option was to have an interstate water reservoir,” said sources.
The option of deep tunnelling to transport surplus water from south to southwest Delhi and from north to west Delhi areas is said to be the costliest among the options.
Sources said that the chief minister told the Planning Commission that the interstate water reservoir was the cheapest of all options. On Renuka Dam, Mr Ahluwalia is said to have promised to call a meeting of the concerned ministries next month.
The chief minister, sources said, proposed involving private sector in the distribution of water as part of “radical measures” to ensure rational utilisation of water and to check wastage. She is also stated to have said that Delhi needs a “Drainage Master Plan” which could be prepared by a Japanese consultant. The plan panel members were also informed that about six to seven private companies have come forward to take up distribution work of the Delhi Jal Board, sources added.
Mr Ahluwalia is also said to have noted that seven blocks of water in the capital are over-exploited. It was also stated in the meeting that Haryana, Punjab and Delhi could come together to have an interstate water reservoir as the cheapest way to solve Delhi’s water crisis.
Mr Ahluwalia has invited the city government for a detailed discussion on long-term water management programme for the city. He said such discussions in the presence of environment and forests experts will help in taking acceptable decisions early.