Construction of the Munak Canal is one of the key projects for the Delhi government, for which Haryana was paid Rs 300 crore last year. The canal, which is being built by the Haryana government, is already running behind schedule. But the Delhi government expects work to be finished before the summer hits hard, as completion of the project means an additional 80 million gallons per day (MGD) of water.

The canal, once ready, is expected to augment Delhi’s water supply without a single additional cusec being released by Haryana. “This is 50 per cent of the water that would otherwise be lost due to seepage and evaporation on its 102 km journey to Delhi from Haryana,” an official said.

The project was to be completed by October last year. “We hope work on the canal finishes before the summer sets in and the demand for water shoots up,” Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said.

He said Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was already holding talks with her Haryana counterpart, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, regarding the issue.

According to the intimation received from Haryana by Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna, work on the canal has already been started and is likely to be finished by March this year. “Haryana has also informed us that completion of work on the canal might get further delayed but it is likely to be finished before the summer sets in,” a senior Raj Niwas official said.