Owing to the water shortage in Delhi, the state’s Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite fast on June 21 demanding water for the national capital. The Delhi state government said that it has not got its share of Yamuna water, and there is an urgent need for a sustainable solution.
The debate over fair distribution of Yamuna water has persisted for years. This is not the first such inter-state water dispute. In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Srinivas Chokkakula, who is the President and Chief Executive of the CPR (Centre for Policy Research). He is the Ministry of Jal Shakti Research Chair for Water Conflicts and Governance at CPR, leading the Transboundary Rivers, Ecologies, and Development studies program that he founded. His research focuses on transboundary water conflict, cooperation, and governance, with extensive publications on these topics. He talks about the legal implications of such disputes, and the politics around it and the possible solutions.