Munak canal maintenance taken over by Delhi: Rekha Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The maintenance of Munak canal has been taken over by the Delhi government, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Tuesday.

The canal supplying fresh water to the national capital enters Delhi from Haryana at Bawana and terminates at Inderlok – a stretch of 20 km.

"The maintenance work of Munak canal was earlier with the Haryana government. Now, the Delhi government has taken over maintenance of this canal," Gupta told the reporters.

She said the canal will be protected with railing along its length to prevent accidents, such as drowning.

Munak canal has a critical role in water supply in Delhi, as it supplies 200 million gallons water per day to Haiderpur water treatment plant.

The canal takeover move was first announced in July by Gupta in a meeting, where she alleged that the canal suffered from "poor maintenance" and it flows in open through parts of Delhi with no security or pollution control measures.

In several places, the canal's lining (pitching) was damaged, while in other portions it was unpaved, causing contamination, she had then said, and pointed out that 20 lakh residents of Delhi depended on it for water. PTI VIT VN VN