Uttar Pradesh today offered to share additional water from Ganga river with Delhi even as the Centre is constituting a new monitoring authority, comprising of six states through which Yamuna flows, to resolve various issues between them.
The decision was taken during the sixth meeting of Upper Yamnuna Review Committee, in which Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and Public Works Minister of Uttar Pradesh participated.
The meeting was chaired by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.
“Irrigation minister of UP open-heartedly offered Ganga’s water for drinking purpose to Delhi. This is a good offer that we got today and chief secretary of Delhi and UP would now work out on how much water can UP give us,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told reporters after the meeting.
UP Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav said that his government was already supplying 400 cusecs of water to the national capital.
“I have assured the Delhi government that we would sit together to resolve any water related issue in the future,” Yadav said.
During the meeting, issues relating to states drawing excess water from the Yamuna river was also discussed.
“There are common complaints from states that one state is drawing more water. So, they all have agreed for having a monitoring authority,” Bharati said, while stressing the need for states to resolve their issues mutually.
The Union Minister further said that a draft proposal would be prepared for the purpose and sent to Chief Secretaries and Chief Ministers.
“After they finalise the draft, the authority will be declared in the next meeting,” Bharati said, while adding the next meeting would take place after three months.