New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- In a bid to tighten control over the Munak Canal - one of Delhi's vital water lifelines - and address mounting safety concerns, the Delhi government has taken over from Haryana the upkeep of a 20km stretch from Bawana to Inderlok, chief minister Rekha Gupta announced on Tuesday. The decision comes just two days after two boys, nine-year-old Aniket and 13-year-old Krishna, drowned in the canal on Sunday, an incident that underscored long-standing concerns about safety along the waterway and prompted fresh calls for preventive measures. The 102-km Munak Canal, part of the Western Yamuna Canal system and built between 2003 and 2012, is a vital lifeline for Delhi. It channels over 1,000 cusecs of Yamuna water daily through its two offshoots-the Carrier Line Channel (CLC) and Delhi Sub-Branch (DSB)-delivering around 200 million gallons to the Haiderpur treatment plant daily -- nearly 37% of the city's raw water demand. The canal has grown increasingly vulnerable, with stretches left exposed, damaged, or unpaved, making it prone to contamination, theft, and encroachments. Over the past two years, three major breaches-in June and October 2023, and July 2024-have exposed its fragile condition, while an April 2024 Delhi Jal Board report recorded transmission losses of up to 30% along the DSB. Citing poor upkeep, lack of security, and inadequate pollution control, CM Gupta had announced in July that Delhi would take over responsibility for the canal's maintenance. "The Delhi government has taken over the maintenance of the Munak Canal which was earlier with the Haryana government. We will install railing on either side and make it safe so that such incidents are not repeated," Gupta said while talking to media persons following a meeting with revenue department officials at the Delhi Secretariat. The Haryana government did not comment on the development till late Tuesday evening. The transfer is expected to be formalised through an inter-state agreement between Delhi and Haryana....