New Delhi [India], January 27 : Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday alleged that the release of a letter by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the Chief Secretary was the result of pressure exerted by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
"When AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and I exposed the BJP's conspiracy regarding poisonous water, BJP through LG put pressure on the officials of Delhi government and made CEO Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to write a letter and release it," Atishi told ANI.
She asserted that the letter from the Delhi Jal Board inadvertently revealed the truth, stating that water treatment plants can treat water with up to 1 ppm ammonia. Additionally, the water can be treated if the ammonia levels reach 2.5 ppm through the process of dilution. However, Atishi noted that the ammonia levels in the Yamuna river water had reached 6.5 ppm, which is six times higher than the acceptable limit.
"They wanted to show that there is no issue, but truth is truth. The letter that was written by DJB - it has been clearly written that the water treatment plant of DJB can treat water up to 1 ppm Ammonia only, or by dilution of more water - the range can be increased to 2 to 2.5 ppm. But, as of today, 6.5 ppm of Ammonia is there in the water of Yamuna river. It means six times more Ammonia is there in the water of Yamuna. This clears that BJP's government in Haryana is sending poisonous water to Delhi," Atishi said.
This comes after Delhi Jal Board CEO on Monday wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary, saying that the statements made by AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal were "factually incorrect".
"These statements are factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading," the letter read.
In the letter, the CEO said that such "false" statements lead to fear-mongering among city residents and also affect the relations with the upper riparian state of Haryana. She further asked the CS to bring the matter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena's attention as per the Transaction of Business Rules.
Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the Haryana government to provide a "factual report" by Tuesday noon following concerns raised by an AAP delegation over the alleged increase in ammonia levels in the water supply from Haryana, which Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders claim has adversely impacted Delhi's water quality, sources informed ANI.
On Monday, an AAP delegation met ECI officials, following which the issue was brought to the ECI's attention. The delegation was led by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who requested an urgent meeting, sources added.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal levelled serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled government in Haryana, accusing it of "poisoning" the water flowing into Delhi from the neighbouring state.
"BJP's Haryana government has poisoned the water in Yamuna," Kejriwal told reporters while adding that the alertness of Delhi Jal board prevented the mixing of alleged poisoned water with drinking water.
He further stated that Delhi's water treatment plants were not equipped to handle such polluted water. "It has caused water scarcity in one-third of Delhi," Kejriwal added.
Responding to this, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini lashed out at Kejriwal, refuting the claims of water scarcity, saying that there was an issue in the distribution system since he failed to manage it for 10 years.