Flood is a natural calamity, politics shouldn’t be done on it: Haryana CM Khattar on Arvind Kejriwal’s allegations  

Jul 14, 2023

New Delhi [India], July 14 : Reacting to the allegation by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that the water level in Yamuna in Delhi increased due to water being released from the Hathni Kund barrage located in Haryana, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that politics should not be done over floods as this is a natural calamity and the sudden heavy rainfall that has raised the level of water in rivers in hilly states was unexpected.  He also said that the capacity of Hathni Kund barrage is 1 lakh cusec and it can be regulated only to a limited extent.
CM Manohar Lal Khattar said, "The flood is a natural calamity and politics should not be done on it. We cannot control water in the barrage. Water will automatically release from the barrage once it crosses the limit. The Yamuna had 1 lakh cusecs of water, which suddenly increased to 3.70 lakh cusecs the next day. As far as the release of water is concerned, we have told Arvind Kejriwal that we can control a limited amount of water in the barrage."
CM Khattar further added, "In a barrage, the flow of water cannot be stalled. The capacity of barrage is 1 lakh cusec and it can be regulated only to an extent. If the level increases then the flow cannot be regulated. Harayana is severely affected due to rains and the flood in Yamuna is going to impact Karnal, Sonipat and Panipat regions first and then Delhi so CM Kejriwal should not allege that more water has been released than permitted." 
As many as 10 people have died due to floods in Haryana triggered by incessant rains in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday adding that the toll could increase.