Water supply to Capital hit but Covid hospitals spared
NEW DELHI: Water supply to several parts of the city was affected on Thursday after the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) alleged that Haryana was releasing less water into the Yamuna. The utility, however, assured people that the supply to Covid-19 hospitals and care centres was not impacted.
In a statement released on Thursday, the DJB said the water production at the Wazirabad, Okhla and Chandrawal water treatment plants was hit because Haryana was not releasing the requisite amount of water to Delhi.
“However, special attention is being paid to hospitals treating Covid-19 patients to ensure that there is no shortage of drinking water in hospitals. Area officials shall be in constant touch with hospital authorities to ensure that a sufficient quantity of drinking water is supplied,” DJB said.
Officials added that apart from ensuring piped supply, water will also be provided to these hospitals through tankers.
“Delay in supply to Covid hospitals will be dealt with seriously,” the statement read.
The supply from Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants has been hit due to the reduction in the release of raw water into the river and a reduction in water level at Wazirabad pond.
The worst hit areas were Civil Lines, Kamala Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, Kalkaji, Patel Nagar, New Rajinder Nagar, Govindpuri, Tughlakabad, Sangam Vihar, and Ambedkar Nagar among others.
On average, DJB supplies 900 MGD (million gallons daily) water, with demand peaking at 1,100 MGD in summer months.
In a release, the DJB said on Wednesday that the depleting water levels in the Yamuna is leading to a shortage of drinking water in several parts of Delhi, and may also affect hospitals in the coming days. Chadha had urged urged Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar to release more raw water into the Yamuna so that sufficient drinking water is available in the national capital. The Haryana government did not respond to email and text messages.