Kejriwal submits reply to EC notice over remarks on Yamuna water contamination; blames Haryana
New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has submitted his reply to the Election Commission of India’s notice regarding his statements on Yamuna water contamination, saying Haryana’s failure to control pollution has resulted in an unprecedented public health crisis.
In his submission, the former Delhi Chief Minister said, “Undisputed that there is 7 ppm ammonia in Yamuna water… DJB CEO letter admits toxicity is 700 per cent higher than the permissible limit.”
He mentioned that the “root cause identified by DJB’s letter is indiscriminate discharge of industrial waste by Haryana.
Saying that safe drinking water is a basic human right; raising an issue for society cannot be termed as an offence, Kejriwal submitted that the issue of toxic water supply from Haryana has been raised earlier too and DJB has even approached NGT and the apex court.
“Such toxic water if allowed to be consumed by human population, the same would lead to grave health hazards and fatality,” Kejriwal said.
He further said that the Delhi government has no role to play with such a high level of toxic water being made available to the national capital by Haryana which is an upper-riparian state.
“Due to such high level of toxic content in the raw water supplied by Haryana, WTPs are operating below capacity and there is a shortage of treated water in Delhi,” the AAP convenor said.
Days ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, Kejriwal said that the BJP was ‘mixing poison’ in the city’s water supply in an attempt to “create chaos… hoping the blame will fall” on his party’s administration.
“The people of Delhi get drinking water from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh… but the Haryana government has mixed poison in the water coming to Delhi from the Yamuna and sent it here… it is only due to the vigilance of our Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped,” said the former Chief Minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a rally in Delhi on Wednesday, also took a direct swipe at AAP over its allegations. PM Modi strongly refuted the claim that Haryana was contaminating Yamuna’s water and ridiculed the notion that the BJP-led state government would poison its own people.
Reacting to the allegation, the Haryana Chief Minister also slammed Kejriwal.
“AAP-da’s wooden sandals (khadau) Chief Minister Atishi Marlena ji, you are welcome on the banks of Yamuna in Palla village. There is no poison in the water coming to Delhi from Haryana, but your minds are definitely filled with poison,” Haryana Chief Minister said.
Amid the raging controversy over the Yamuna River, the Haryana Chief Minister drank water from the river near the Delhi border and further slammed Kejriwal for “spreading lies”.
“I drank the water of the holy Yamuna on the border of Haryana without any hesitation. Kejriwal has blatantly lied. Even I’m having relatives in Delhi. The AAP convener should immediately tender an apology,” the Haryana Chief Minister wrote on X.