A barrage of compromises fail the Yamuna

A decades-old water-sharing pact faces renegotiation this year—making it a pivotal moment for the Yamuna in Delhi. The outcome of these talks may determine whether the river gets revived in the city or remains choked by neglect

- Paras Singh and Jasjeev Gandhiok

For a generation of young people who have grown up in Delhi, the Yamuna has been a river only in name. What was once the lifeline of Delhi now drags through the city as a toxic stream—its banks lined with industrial and domestic waste, its surface foaming with chemical froth. Successive governments, run by different parties, have all pitched grand schemes to revive the river; courts have issued rebukes; and thousands of crores have been poured into clean-up projects. Yet, the river remains on life support.

Today, Delhi stands at a moment that could change the river's fate—for better or for worse.

Rejuvenation of the river is back in the spotlight following the recent Delhi assembly elections. Its winner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has made a string of promises to revive the river.

At the same time, a 1994 water-sharing agreement that determines the Yamuna's flow is up for renegotiation. The outcome of this long-overdue revision could either restore the river's environmental flow or doom it to lifelessness for another generation.

But there is one factor that makes this iteration of the negotiations different. For the first time in decades, the BJP holds power in five of the six Yamuna basin states, a rare alignment that offers a unique opportunity to push for a greater share of water for Delhi.

The backbone in this high-stakes renegotiation is Delhi's demand for more water—specifically, an increase in the amount released from upstream states. If the city's demands are met, the Yamuna could see fresh water coursing through its parched veins. If not, the future will remain as bleak as its polluted waters.

Experts argue that the minimum of 10 cumecs (190 million gallons per day) currently allocated to Delhi is grossly insufficient, leaving the river dry and unable to flush out pollutants. Studies, including those by the National Institute of Hydrology, have pointed to a figure of 23 cumecs (437 MGD).