Delhi Jal Board asks Haryana to ramp up supply

NEW DELHI: Amid extreme weather conditions and an ongoing heatwave in Delhi, the water level in the Yamuna has gone down, with the shortage resulting in supply cuts in some parts of the Capital and forcing the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to seek release of additional water in the river from neighbouring Haryana.

A senior DJB official said the water level at Wazirabad pond on Saturday fell below the normal level of 674.5 feet, to a “critical low of 673.7 feet”.

“Even the raw water flow through carrier lined canal (CLC) and Delhi sub branch (DSB) (two canals that carry water from Haryana to Delhi) is currently fluctuating... This has affected the lifting of 120 cusec of water from Wazirabad pond due to low pond level. This can affect water production adversely,” said an SOS sent by DJB to the Haryana irrigation department on Saturday.

The communication, a copy of which HT has seen, asked the Haryana government to supply additional 150 cusec of raw water through the Yamuna to ensure that 120 cusec of raw water reaches Wazirabad pond, noting that the city’s water requirement is higher due to the pandemic and peak summer.

It asks Haryana to release additional water till monsoon, when the water level picks up in the Yamuna.

Haryana government officials did not respond to requests seeking a comment.

A water deficient state, Delhi already faces a shortfall of more than 380 million gallons of water daily (MGD).

The Delhi government’s economic survey 2021-22 said the total requirement of water was around 1,380 MGD in 2021. The state has targeted a peak water supply of 998MGD under its summer action plan for the year.

With the volume of water flowing through the Yamuna, CLC and DSB canals low, DJB officials said that maintaining the water production level at water treatment plants (WTP) at Chandrawal, Wazirabad, Nangloi, Haiderpur and Dwarka is under threat.