Ghaziabad: Over 85 tankers have been deployed in water-scarce areas as the city hit its peak demand of 419 MLD. GMC, which produces 372 MLD, including 108 MLD from the Ganga Canal, is struggling to meet residents’ demand as the region grapples with an intense heatwave.The civic body is yet to tackle these losses effectively. The water production capacity has risen only marginally over the years despite the number of consumers climbing to 3.5 lakh.“GMC has a water pipeline of 2,400 km. Leakages in such a vast network are common,” said an official. “In absolute terms, about 130 MLD of water is wasted.”“We have deployed over 85 tankers in the water-scarce areas of Mohan Nagar and Vijay Nagar. We are also trying to introduce SCADA, or supervisory control and data acquisition. It has been introduced as a pilot project in Indirapuram and Kavinagar. We believe that after it is fully installed, it will help plug 90% of the water loss,” he said.SCADA is fitted with sensors, which detect leakages in the pipeline and tubewells and give alerts in case of malfunction of machines. It can be centrally monitored. Based on the alerts, a team can start work precisely at the point of the leakages, irrespective of whether a pipeline is underground or overground.Of the 372 MLD produced by GMC, more than 80% is met through underground sources. The groundwater table in the city has hit rock bottom. According to the groundwater department, in 2016 the table in the city stood at an average depth of 24.89 m, but in 2025 it fell to 34.93 m. In nine years, the water table has receded by more than 10 m.“In this season alone, our boring has failed at 16 places,” said the official.In Vijay Nagar, the water crisis is acute. GMC’s project to supply 10 MLD of Ganga water to the area has so far failed to materialise.Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0, a report on the water situation has been sent to the Centre. GMC has sought Rs 25,00 crore to revamp the city’s water infrastructure, but that too has been in limbo for the past two years.
