The Haryana Government has assured that it will supply 1,000 cusecs of water to Delhi on a daily basis, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday, as several parts of the Capital continued to face water scarcity.
“To tackle water-related challenges arising due to the scorching heat, an assurance has been given by Haryana to maintain a minimum of 1,000 cusecs of water supply through the Munak Canal,” Gupta said at a review meeting after speaking to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
According to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials, the city has been receiving between 900 and 924 cusecs through the Munak Canal in the last few days.
Presiding over a meeting with officials from the Water department and the DJB, the CM said that efforts are being made to press into service more than 980 tankers, which will make over 6,000 trips daily to deliver water to the affected areas.
Being a landlocked city with no independent source of raw water, Delhi depends largely on neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for its water supply.
Delhi’s municipal water demand is roughly 1,250 to 1,380 million gallons per day (MGD), while the DJB peak production hovers around 935 to 1,000 MGD. This leaves the Capital facing a persistent daily shortfall of over 300 MGD during peak summer periods.
For several days now, officials said the DJB has been unable to maintain its targeted water production of 1,000 MGD, with output dropping by around 90 MGD amid a shortage of raw water.
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Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, who also attended the meeting, said, “Delhi currently requires around 1,250 MGD of water during the peak summer. Despite the challenges arising from a significant decline in the Yamuna water level at the Wazirabad Barrage, DJB has been making every possible effort to sustain water production and ensure minimum inconvenience to residents.”
He added that water level at Wazirabad pond has fallen from its normal level of 674.5 feet to nearly 668 feet, resulting in a shortage of raw water and affecting water production by nearly 80-100 MGD.
“This situation has been aggravated by the prolonged dry spell in the upper reaches of the Yamuna,” he said, adding that to address this, additional raw water has been diverted from the Carrier Line Canal to Wazirabad pond.
“Emergency pumping arrangements have also been installed in the dry riverbed, contributing nearly 40 MGD of additional raw water. Along with around 130 MGD being diverted from the canal system, these measures have helped sustain operations at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants,” he said.
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Singh said that DJB has been able to maintain daily water production of around 900 MGD and continues to supply water to the vast majority of households across the city.
Maintaining that ensuring availability of drinking water for all residents is her government’s top priority, the CM directed the officials to take immediate action considering every incident of water leakage seriously.
“Every drop of water is precious and any kind of wastage will not be acceptable… DJB officials should personally monitor the complaints received daily and, if necessary, go to the field themselves to verify the situation,” she said.
Officials said DJB has received 11,055 complaints regarding water scarcity through its helpline in the past week, of which over 8,500 have been resolved.
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Gupta also directed officials to ensure that all pending complaints related to water supply are addressed on priority. She asked the DJB to deploy an adequate number of water tankers in affected areas.
Moreover, the CM said that DJB has roped in IIT Roorkee to conduct a study on water leakages. “A study on the feasibility of bringing water through a pipeline from Haryana is being conducted, so that water loss and leakage can be reduced… Moreover, dredging and desilting works are being undertaken in the Yamuna near Wazirabad, new water treatment plants are being established and additional borewells being developed in the Yamuna Khadar area,” she added.
