Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday (July 16) responded to the Delhi government's allegations that Haryana deliberately released water into the Yamuna river. Khattar lashed out at Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying, "Ek anpadh aur gawaar vyakti ka jo gyaan hota hai na, usme PhD shuru kardi jaayein na..." He then used the Bhakra Nangal Dam to demonstrate how water flow, diversion, and pressure work in dams. Khattar emphasised that if the dam's water level exceeds its capacity, it will naturally flow into Haryana as part of the regional system.
Khattar told reporters in Rohtak that such allegations could tarnish Haryana. Haryana can perform 'sewa' (service), but never harm anyone else, he claims, ANI shared the video of the same.
"This blame game is not healthy. It is not in the best interests of humanity, the state, or the country," he stated. "It would never occur to anyone to cause harm to another in order to protect himself. Only a cruel person could do this," Khattar said.
Khattar said that the Hathnikund barrage lacks a mechanism for storing large volumes of water, similar to a reservoir, and if water is held in the barrage beyond a permissible limit, "bigger damage" could result.
Khattar stated that many Haryana districts are also being impacted by the water, and he wondered if "we will drown our districts first, and then Delhi."
"It's like hum to dubenge sanam, tumko bhi le dubenge (we'll drown and take you with us)," he joked.
He claimed that his government, too, was forced to evacuate many villages. "Our Karnal, Sonipat, Panipat, Faridabad, and Palwal districts were affected (due to the rise in Yamuna waters." The AAP also claimed that the Haryana government's ITO barrage gates in Delhi had jammed due to silt accumulation. The party demanded that its upkeep be transferred to the Delhi government for more efficient management.
With floodwaters receding in many areas of Punjab and Haryana, authorities have begun work on restoring power, delivering regular drinking water, and repairing flood-damaged infrastructure, news agency PTI reported citing officials on Sunday.
Authorities were still engaged in relief work in several locations, including the Punjab districts of Sangrur and Patiala, as well as plugging breaches in 'dhussi bundhs' (earthen embankments) that had formed along the Ghaggar river, the report said.
Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced on Sunday that schools that had been ordered closed until Sunday would reopen on July 17.
Several districts in Punjab and Haryana were hit by heavy rains last week, paralysing normal life and flooding vast swaths of residential and agricultural land.
At least 55 people have died in rain-related incidents across the states, with 29 dying in Punjab and the remainder in Haryana, PTI reported.
Over 25,000 people have been evacuated from waterlogged areas in various flood-hit districts of Punjab, and over 5,300 have been evacuated from Haryana, the report said. Rain-related flooding has affected 14 districts in Punjab and 13 districts in Haryana.