Large parts of the city are likely to face water shortage on Friday morning as untreated water supply to Delhi from Haryana fell on Thursday.
However, a more severe crisis has been averted for now with Uttar Pradesh agreeing to continue water supply from the Tehri lake in Uttarakhand, where the water level has dropped sharply.
The Delhi Jal Board’s Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants functioned at 50 per cent of their capacity on Thursday because of inadequate raw water supply.
Both the Munak Canal and the regular course of the Yamuna had less water, which forced the DJB to curtail production at the two plants. On Friday, Delhi will get 50 million gallons less water than the usual 900 million gallons per day (MGD).
The DJB said in a statement that the “acute drop” in the level of the Wazirabad pond and the “reduced supply” in the carrier-lined channel would hit supply in the whole city, except East Delhi. The affected areas would include Lutyens’ Delhi, North Delhi, Northwest Delhi, Central Delhi, and parts of South and West Delhi.
According to DJB officials, Haryana was releasing 200 cusecs of water through the Yamuna, but most of it is evaporating before reaching Delhi.
According to a Supreme Court order, Haryana is supposed to maintain the level of the Wazirabad pond, which is fed by the river. The DJB will write to the Haryana government to raise the issue soon, said a senior official.
DJB chairperson Kapil Mishra said Uttar Pradesh had agreed to continue water supply through the Upper Ganga Canal, which feeds the Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi plants.
These two plants account for about 25 per cent of the DJB’s treated water supply. Coupled with the decrease in water from Haryana, any dip in supply from UP could have been disastrous for Delhiites.
