Supreme Court Orders Emergency Meeting for Delhi's Water Crisis

The Supreme Court mandated an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board to address Delhi's water scarcity. The meeting will include representatives from Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh to find a non-adversarial solution to the crisis. The court will review outcomes and suggested measures on June 6.

In a crucial move to resolve Delhi's ongoing water crisis, the Supreme Court mandated an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for June 5. The apex court was addressing a plea from the Delhi government, urging Haryana to release surplus water from Himachal Pradesh to the national capital.

During the hearing, Justices P K Mishra and K V Viswanathan observed that legal representatives from the Centre and the states involved had agreed to convene the UYRB meeting to tackle the water scarcity issue. The bench emphasized the need for a collaborative, non-adversarial approach to ensure the problem is solved effectively.

The Supreme Court further instructed that the matter be posted for hearing on June 6, by which time it expects to receive the minutes from the June 5 meeting along with proposed solutions from all stakeholders involved. The plea, filed by Delhi's Water Minister Atishi, highlighted the essential nature of access to water as a basic human right and called for continuous water release at the Wazirabad barrage by Haryana.