Yamuna ammonia-level row: Delhi, Punjab CMs meet EC, accuse BJP-led Haryana government of contamination

Delhi water crisis escalates as AAP accuses Haryana of poisoning Yamuna, sparking political tensions and election concerns.

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and her Punjab counterpart, Bhagwant Mann, met Election Commission (EC) officials on Tuesday (January 28, 2025), alleging that the BJP-led Haryana government is deliberately releasing alarming levels of ammonia into the Yamuna river, endangering Delhi's water supply.

Following the meeting, Ms. Atishi told a press conference, "We presented our concerns to the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners. The ammonia levels in the Yamuna have risen to 7 ppm (parts per million), which exceeds the filtration capacity of Delhi's water treatment plants. The EC has told us that it will listen to Haryana's version before taking a decision that benefits the people of Delhi. We trust the EC for free-and-fair elections."

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Mr. Mann called for immediate action, saying, "We have demanded additional water from the Munak canal to compensate for the toxic inflow into the Yamuna. The EC will also review last year's ammonia-level data. We are confident that it will rule in Delhi's favour." Ms. Atishi had written two letters to the EC seeking an immediate meeting with the officials of the poll panel — one on Monday and another on Tuesday morning.

Delhi's water crisis took a sharp political turn on Monday, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Kejriwal accusing the Haryana government of indulging in "biological warfare".

In a fiery post on X, he alleged, "Poison is being mixed into the Yamuna to make its water untreatable. If people in Delhi consume this water, many will die. This is nothing short of a mass murder."

Ms. Atishi said Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini has acknowledged the presence of ammonia in the water. She also noted that Delhi Jal Board (DJB) CEO Shilpa Shinde has confirmed the elevated ammonia levels in the Yamuna water.