The AAP on Saturday alleged that floods in Delhi are not a natural calamity but a crisis planned and executed by the BJP, with the saffron party accusing the ruling party of indulging in corruption and inaction.
Addressing a press conference Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj noted that despite the absence of even moderate rainfall in the city for the past six days, Delhi finds itself inundated and the Yamuna River has surged beyond its danger mark.
"Today, we present to you irrefutable evidence that demonstrates the deliberate release of water from the Hathni Kund Barrage in Haryana to submerge Delhi. This is not a mere natural calamity but rather a deliberate attempt by the governments at the Centre and in Haryana, both ruled by the BJP, to inflict havoc upon the people of Delhi," he alleged.
Advertisement
The senior AAP leader said the water level of Yamuna, as measured at the old railway bridge on Friday, reached a staggering 208.6 metres, which is three metres above the danger mark of 205.33 metres.
"This water level even surpassed the devastating flood that occurred in September 1978, which was considered the worst flood in Delhi's history. The historic flood of 1978 witnessed the Yamuna at a peak level of 207.49 meters at the old railway bridge," he said.
Bharadwaj emphasised the critical role played by the Hathni Kund Barrage regulator in this alleged conspiracy of the BJP creating an artificial deluge in Delhi despite the absence of heavy rainfall.
Advertisement
He expressed grave concern over the alleged deliberate manipulation of water release from July 9 to July 13, when water was withheld in the Western Canal, while it was swiftly directed towards Delhi.
The said barrage is located in Yamunanagar, Haryana, approximately 228 kilometres from Delhi.
"Water is released from Hathni Kund Barrage through three channels: the Eastern Canal, the Western Canal, and the Yamuna itself. The Western Canal, traversing through Haryana, eventually reaches Haiderpur in Delhi, while the Eastern Canal supplies water to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. As for the Yamuna, it flows directly near the key streets of Delhi, passing through Okhla. Water released into the Yamuna River from this regulator takes approximately 48 hours to reach Delhi, thus causing delayed detection of intentional manipulation of water levels," he said.
On August 10 and 11, 2022, a staggering four lakh cusecs of water was discharged from Hathni Kund Barrage, significantly surpassing the current water released towards Delhi which stands at around 3.5 lakh cusecs, he said.
Despite this higher volume, the water was appropriately distributed last year among the Eastern Canal, Western Canal, and the Yamuna, preventing a disastrous scenario in Delhi. In contrast, this year's "mismanaged" water release has already led to a rise in Yamuna's water level to 208.6 metres, surpassing last year's highest recorded level of 207 metres, he said. "Undoubtedly, this is a matter of great shame".
Advertisement
AAP senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh echoed similar views at a press conference later in the day.
"The floods in Delhi were meticulously crafted out by the BJP to harass and punish the residents of Delhi and defame the chief minister. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have conspired to unleash this planned flood, causing immense distress to the people of Delhi," he added.
-With PTI Input
