Delhi Jal Board has written letters in this regard thrice to the Haryana Irrigation Department in a fortnight on 12th May, 3rd May and 30th April.
Delhi Jal Board has written letters in this regard thrice to the Haryana Irrigation Department in a fortnight on 12th May, 3rd May and 30th April.
With the Yamuna drying up in the hot sun and Haryana not responding to SOS calls, officials in Delhi are barely meeting the demand for drinking water, officials said on May 14.
The water level of Wazirabad pond has fallen to 670.70 feet, which is the lowest level this year. On May 12 it was 671.80 feet.
The level of the pond had dropped to 667 feet on July 11 last year, following which the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to Haryana to release excess water into the Yamuna.
DJB has written letters in this regard thrice to the Haryana Irrigation Department in a fortnight on 12th May, 3rd May and 30th April.
“The flow is also fluctuating through CLC (carrier-lined channel) and DSB (Delhi sub-branch)… Lifting 120 cusecs of water from Wazirabad pond is affected due to low level of the pond. This will adversely affect the production of water. Due to peak summers, the requirement of water is high,” the SOS on May 12 read.
It is requested to supply additional 150 cusecs of raw water through DD-8/river route, to ensure that 120 cusecs of raw water is supplied in this time of crisis, till the arrival of monsoon in Wazirabad. reached the pond.
According to officials, there has been no response from the neighboring state, leaving Delhi to fend for itself.
The production capacity of Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants has come down to 85 per cent. A DJB official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it could further reduce to 75% on May 15.
“We have resorted to water rationing and have been able to meet the demand so far. However, the situation may worsen if Haryana does not release excess water in the river,” the official said.
Following its summer action plan, the DJB has deployed additional tankers to cater to areas facing water shortage and is trying to augment the water supply through tube wells.
The Delhi government last month said it would supply around 1,000 million gallons of drinking water every day during the summer season to meet the rising demand, as against 935 MGD earlier.
It had said that 1,198 water tankers would be deployed across the capital during the peak season (April-July) to prevent water shortage.
Haryana supplies a total of 610 million gallons of water a day to Delhi through two canals – the CLC and DSB – and the Yamuna.
Water is supplied to CLC and DSB from Hathini Kund through Munak Canal and Bhakra Beas Management Board.
In addition, Delhi receives 253 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and 90 MGD from wells and tube wells installed across the city.
The Chandrawal and Wazirabad water treatment plants have a capacity of 90 MGD and 135 MGD respectively.
Two plants lift raw water from Wazirabad pond, treat it and supply it to Northeast Delhi, West Delhi, North Delhi, Central Delhi, South Delhi including Delhi Cantonment and New Delhi Municipal Council areas.
Delhi requires around 1,200 MGD of water, while DJB supplies around 950 MGD.
The government has set a target of increasing the water supply to 1,180 MGD by June 2023.