The Delhi and Haryana state governments are at loggerheads over the flood-like situation in both states. In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote that the Hathini Kund is a “barrage and not a dam.” Therefore, the amount of water released “cannot be controlled.”
In response to CM Kejriwal’s letter, retired IAS and Advisor (Irrigation) to the Haryana Chief Minister, Devendra Singh said “Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is talking baseless and beyond facts regarding the rising water level of Yamuna river. His allegation that Yamuna’s water level has risen due to the release of excess water from Hathini Kund Barrage is completely misleading.”
Singh said that the reality is that the structure built on Hathini Kund is a barrage which is only to divert-regulate the water. Water can only be operated in a limited amount by a dam, not a barrage.
It is also necessary to mention here that according to the guidelines of the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water being released into the Yamuna River for the protection of Hathini Kund Barrage, is runoff from the excessive rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Soil erosion and water-logging in Yamuna Nagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat of Haryana are a result of this stormwater, which has led to heavy losses of life and property in the state. If there was any provision to release water in limited quantity, it would have also been in the interest of the state of Haryana.
The Hathini Kund Barrage is situated on the Yamuna River in Yamunanagar. The barrage was built between 1998-2000 to replace the Tajewala Barrage. The structure, located at Hathini Kund, is where water is supplied to partner states from, as per the 1994 agreement. The barrage, designed by the CWC, does not have the capacity to store water. According to CWC guidelines, when the barrage receives more than one lakh cusecs of water it automatically releases it into the Yamuna. If an attempt is made to stop water coming into the barrage, it can damage the structure’s gates and turn into a fierce flood that will cause large-scale destruction in both Delhi and Haryana.