New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh will provide 137 cusecs of raw river water for Delhi’s use following the Supreme Court’s intervention on Thursday. Following this, Delhi Jal Board is likely to see an increase of 65-70 million gallons of water per day (MGD) for processing at its water treatment plants.The much-needed water will be released from June 7 and reach the city’s first barrage at Wazirabad through the Hathnikund barrage. Afterward, the water will be lifted by the major treatment plants at Wazirabad, Okhla, Chandrawal and Sonia Vihar. “I thank the Supreme Court for standing with the people of Delhi during this unprecedented water crisis,” water minister Atishi posted on X. “This is a time that calls for a coordinated effort above all else, and the SC order marks a victory for the people of Delhi and their right to water.”While Himachal Pradesh does not channel water to Delhi directly through a canal, it can increase the amount of water released into the tributaries of the Yamuna. The apex court Haryana must allow this water flowing through that state to go to the capital.A DJB official said, “Some of the extra water we are getting will be lost due to evaporation. But even after that, around 67 MGD of water will be there for treatment by plants. As the Supreme Court has given Haryana directions not to obstruct the water, we need not fear disruption there.”The water supply is currently short by 290-300 MGD, and the situation becomes dire in the hot summer months. DJB, under its summer action plan, had set a production target of 1,000 MGD, though the Economic Survey of Delhi 2023 said the actual requirement was 1,290 MGD.Last month, the city was staring at such a severe scarcity that Delhi govt was forced to announce certain measures to manage the water, among them being reducing the drinking water supply to just once a day and imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on anyone found wasting piped water.For the past few days, a combination of extremely hot weather and reduced water supply has made this summer very harsh for people. But things have improved. On Thursday, DJB produced 1,003 MGD in total, with the Wazirabad treatment plant alone producing 134 MGD. This plant was the worst hit during the 21 days of reduced supply of raw water from the Yamuna. The city govt’s accusation that Haryana had “stopped” supply of river water to Delhi was hotly contested by the neighbouring state.