Amid crisis, now Himachal Pradesh tells SC it doesn't have surplus water to give to Delhi

NEW DELHI: In a significant development related to the ongoing water crisis in Delhi, the Supreme Court has directed the state government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to secure an additional 150 cusecs of water from Haryana.
"The issue concerning sharing of Yamuna water between states is complex. This court doesn't have technical expertise," a vacation bench of the apex court said during a hearing on Thursday.
A vacation bench of justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and justice Prasanna B Varale also asked the Delhi government to submit an application to the UYRB by 5pm seeking supply of water to the national capital on humanitarian grounds.
The court also criticized the Himachal Pradesh government for inaccurately claiming it had 136 cusecs of excess water.
During the hearing, the Himachal Pradesh government told the SC that it does not have surplus 136 cusecs of water and withdrew its earlier statement.
However, the court chose not to take any action against the Himachal government.
The top court was hearing a plea filed by the AAP government seeking a direction to Haryana to release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to the national capital to mitigate its water crisis.
(With inputs from agencies)