Ammonia removal plant soon to boost water supply in Delhi

DJB’s plants can treat up to 1ppm of ammonia in raw water through chlorine, but chlorination beyond this limit leads to production of toxic chloramine compounds. Whenever ammonia levels breach the 1ppm mark, water production at Delhi Jal Board treatment plants is hit.

The Delhi government will set up an ammonia removal plant to treat polluted water entering the Yamuna from Haryana in the next six months, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday after chairing a high-level meeting.

The Delhi government, in a statement said Haryana is discharging large amounts of ammonia and industrial wastewater into the Yamuna, which has obstructed the functioning of Delhi’s water treatment plants (Representational Image/ REUTERS)

The Delhi government, in a statement said, “Haryana is discharging large amounts of ammonia and industrial wastewater into the river, which has obstructed the functioning of Delhi’s water treatment plants (WTP), and the ammonia removal plant will address this issue. The plant will be set up at the Wazirabad WTP, where the treated water will be purified.”

A Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official said the current ammonia level in the Yamuna is 3mg per litre, while the standard is supposed to be 0mg. DJB’s plants can treat up to 1ppm of ammonia in raw water through chlorine, but chlorination beyond this limit leads to production of toxic chloramine compounds. Whenever ammonia levels breach the 1ppm mark, water production at Delhi Jal Board treatment plants is hit.

Several areas in north, central and south Delhi have been facing supply issues due to low levels of water in the Yamuna as well as high ammonia content, leading to inadequate treatment and production of water at the Chandrawal and Wazirabad plants.

Meanwhile, to combat water wastage in the city, Kejriwal announced the installation of flow metres at all underground reservoirs. An official said that with an improvement in water levels (which varies for every area), the government will install industrial RO systems to provide clean and water.

The ammonia issue was also raised on March 15 during a meeting with the DJB. The DJB then worked out the technical feasibility of the project. “The work will be done in two ways. Efforts are being made to reduce the ammonia present in the Yamuna as much as possible by treating it. Then, this technology will also be used for the in-situ treatment of ammonia. A technical report is being prepared for this,” the government said.