DDA plans to irrigate parks across Delhi with treated wastewater

The authority is inviting proposals from consultants to design the network that uses treated wastewater instead of groundwater

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) plans to develop a citywide network for supplying treated water to parks and green belts in a bid to adopt sustainable practices by increasing water utilisation , officials aware of the matter said.

A park in the city. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The authority is inviting proposals from consultants to design the network that uses treated wastewater instead of groundwater to irrigate nearly 750 parks under its jurisdiction. DDA owns and maintains most of the parks, green belts and Yamuna floodplains across the city.

The plan seeks ideas and expertise for a “comprehensive management strategy and technical blueprint’ to deliver recycled water to parks across the National Capital Territory (NCT)”.

“DDA wants applicants to submit innovative, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective ideas. The scope includes mapping water demand in different regions, identifying nearby sources of treated wastewater — such as sewage treatment plants (STPs) — and evaluating the potential of tapping raw sewage where needed to build new treatment capacity,” said an official.

The project will eventually be implemented across the 10 horticulture divisions of DDA. Each zone has been tasked with rethinking how parks can become self-sufficient in terms of water use, officials said.

A senior DDA official familiar with the plan said the goal is to stop overreliance on groundwater, and water supplied through Jal Board and water tankers, which currently serve as the lifeline for many parks.

“This approach is neither sustainable nor efficient. We have a massive sewage load in Delhi. If we can treat and reuse that water for irrigation, it’s a win-win for the environment and for the budget,” the official said.

Currently, irrigation in many parks is done manually. Groundsmen operate hose pipes connected to borewells or wait for tankers to arrive — an expensive and unreliable system that doesn’t evenly serve all green spaces, the official added. Officials say the problem worsens during the summer months, when both groundwater levels and tanker availability come under pressure.

The last date for submitting concept notes and proposals is May 28, with a pre-application meeting scheduled for May 21. Officials say that once the consultant is selected, the actual design and planning work should wrap up within four months. The winning consultant, to be selected through a competitive process, will be awarded a prize of ₹1 lakh and the responsibility of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) along with the final tender documents.

DDA has 16,000 acres of green area under its jurisdiction. This includes 10,400 acres of 729 public parks, 21,000 acres of biodiversity parks and 3,500 acres of Yamuna floodplains that are at various stages of restoration.