NEW DELHI: With the Delhi Jal Board being forced to close down its water-treatment plants due to high ammonia levels, environment minister Jairam Ramesh has taken up the matter with the Haryana government . 

The indiscriminate discharge of untreated industrial effluents into the Yamuna from units in Panipat and Samalkha is the root cause for high ammonia levels. 

Ramesh has written to Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday, asking him to ensure that “stiff action” is taken against the polluters. 

This is not the first time that Delhi’s water supply has been affected by untreated industrial effluents from Haryana. “I understand from the Central Pollution Control Board ( CPCB ) that this is not the first time such a problem has occurred,” the minister wrote in his December 29 letter. 

Ramesh has asked that the chief minister should ensure that the Haryana Pollution Control Board monitors water quality and sewage treatment, as well as take action against polluters.