Munak water: HC orders installation of flow meters

[Sareen Dwarka]

Following allegations and counter allegations regarding release of water by Haryana into the Munak canal, the Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to install ultrasonic water flow meters to record the flow of water.

“The amicus curiae has submitted that the best method to measure water flow is by using ultrasonic flow meters,” the court of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul said. The court has now directed the DJB to install the meters within two weeks.

The flow meters are to be installed at Daryapur village, where the Munak Canal enters Delhi, and at the beginning of the Delhi sub-branch of the canal which diverts water to the Wazirpur water treatment plant. Another set of the meters may also be installed on the decision of amicus curiae and senior advocate Rakesh Khanna.

The court also pulled up the counsel for the Haryana government after senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the DJB, alleged that the state was not releasing adequate water.

Senior advocate Geeta Luthra, who is representing the Haryana Irrigation department, refuted the claims and alleged that the DJB was “playing to the galleries”.

“We get the feeling that, somewhere, Haryana is trying to renege from this arrangement because it finds it inconvenient,” the court said after Luthra argued against the installation of the flow meters in Haryana.

The court also asked Khanna to take representative measurements of the flow from the meters, and to submit complete digital records of the measurements before the court in four weeks. Superintending engineers from the DJB and the Haryana Irrigation department will also have to be present with the amicus to take the readings from the ultrasonic meters, the court directed.

The court also pulled up the counsels for both states, stating that it was “not a forum for political posturing”.

The counsel for Haryana also alleged that the DJB had “closed” the gate of two pipelines connected to the canal on March 24 after asking Haryana to release water into the canal. As a result, several million gallons of water had been “wasted”, the counsel alleged.

Haryana officials also submitted photographs of DJB officials allegedly in the process of closing the sluice gates. The court, however, did not make any observations with regard to the photos. It will now take up the matter on May 1.

Last year, the court had directed the Haryana government to comply with its undertaking to supply 719 cusecs of water to Delhi via the canal, after a PIL was filed by a Delhi resident alleging that the newly-constructed channel was not being used.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/munak-water-hc-orders-installation-of-flow-meters

Sent from my iPhone

[REJIMON C K]

Hope this tussle could be resolved by meter which was long overdue.

This kind of PIL only resolve our issues

Adv Tripathi any other issue taken during hearing? Please share

Send by Wireless Device

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