Cool winds may still be blowing through the Capital, but the Delhi Jal Board has already started preparing for the summer when demand for water peaks and crisis follows.
This time, however, the DJB says it is ready to face the summer months with an all-time high amount of water being treated, new tankers being bought and maintenance audits that have already begun.
The summer action plan, which charts out all the steps that the DJB needs to take to make sure its infrastructure is ready, will be prepared earlier than it was in 2015, said DJB chairperson Kapil Mishra.
“The summer action plan is almost ready. The consultations with all MLAs, which happened last year too, will be completed in February,” said Mr. Mishra.
Officials of the DJB are meeting MLAs to find out where exactly in their constituencies there are maintenance, repair and other infrastructure issues.
Senior officials have started taking meetings to review the functioning and maintenance status of water treatment plants, underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations.
The DJB is currently supplying an average of 890 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated water, 60 MGD more than last year. Even then, Delhi needs 1,080 MGD of water. The water supply lines have been extended, with 205 new colonies being added to the network.
“We are getting the full amount of raw water we are supposed to from Haryana. We won’t let that amount fall. We are ready for the summer. It will be the best summer ever,” said Mr. Mishra.
Every summer, Delhiites are faced with water shortage. But, this year, Mr. Mishra said, the DJB is confident of averting crisis.
“Delhi has a history of water crisis in the summer months. But, this year, it will become history. The water crisis will not happen again,” said Mr. Mishra.
However, Mr. Mishra admitted that there would still be problems in certain areas.
The DJB is in the process of rolling out a new fleet of 250 water tankers, which have been bought and are currently being fitted. These will be out on the streets by April 1, said DJB Member (water supply) R.S. Tyagi.
Mr. Tyagi said all 250 of the new tankers will be GPS-enabled, to check misuse and leakages. The DJB has 414 other stainless steel tankers that have already been fitted with GPS. Another 380 tankers have been hired from private contractors. After the DJB’s new fleet starts working, 250 of the hired tankers will be phased out, and the remaining will be allowed to work only if they install GPS devices.
The DJB is currently supplying an average of 890 MGD of treated water, 60 MGD more than last year
