Atishi goes on indefinite hunger strike as Delhi water crisis deepens

There is such intense heat in Delhi and the water requirements of the people have increased, says the Minister

New Delhi: Delhi Water Minister Atishi on Friday began her indefinite hunger strike in south Delhi’s Bhogal to press on her demand for more water from Haryana. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, along with AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, were present as Atishi began her fast.

Sunita Kejriwal read out a message from the Chief Minister, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, in which he expressed hope that Atishi’s ‘tapasya’ would be successful.

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The Chief Minister said he was immensely pained by seeing on TV the plight of the people facing water shortage amid the ongoing intense heatwave, he said.

“It’s our culture to provide water to the thirsty. Delhi gets water from neighbouring States. We hoped support of neighbouring states in such intense heat. But, Haryana reduced Delhi’s water share. Although there are governments of different parties in the two States but is this time for politics over water,” he said, referring to the BJP that is in power in Haryana.

Earlier, Atishi, accompanied by Sunita Kejriwal, Singh, Bharadwaj and other leaders paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before heading to Bhogal. There is such intense heat in Delhi and the water requirements of the people have increased. In such times, the people need more water, but there is a shortage. All the water in Delhi comes from its neighbouring States, Atishi said as she began her indefinite fast.

She said her appeal to the Haryana government and a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help did not yield any result and Delhi was not getting adequate water. “I am left with no choice now but to start an indefinite hunger strike as I am unable to watch the plight of the men, women and children of Delhi. This indefinite Jal Satyagrah will continue till Delhi people get water from Haryana,” she said.

Delhi gets 1005 MGD water which is supplied to people in the city. For the last two weeks, Haryana is giving 513 MGD instead of 613 MGD water to Delhi. More than 28 lakh people face shortage when Haryana stops 100 MGD of water, she said. Haryana has further reduced the release of Delhi’s share from 100 MGD to 120 MGD in the last two days, she claimed.

Delhi is facing an unprecedented heatwave as a result the water demand has increased.