Delhi Jal Board plans digital water tanker delivery system

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is set to develop an integrated digital system for water tanker services in the city, which will allow residents to request emergency water supplies digitally, track tankers in real-time and verify the deliveries, officials said on Monday

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is set to develop an integrated digital system for water tanker services in the city, which will allow residents to request emergency water supplies digitally, track tankers in real-time and verify the deliveries, officials said on Monday.

Delhi Jal Board plans digital water tanker delivery system

The move comes after repeated complaints over inadequate tanker availability, delays in reaching water-deficit areas and weak fleet monitoring, particularly during the summer months when tankers become a critical water source for areas without piped supply.

The water utility invited bids for development and operation of an Integrated Smart Water Tanker Management System (ISWTMS) on October 1, bringing the supply chain -- from receiving a request and allocating a tanker to filling, movement and delivery -- on a common platform, officials said.

DJB operates more than 1,000 tankers which supply water to areas which have not been covered with water supply network, tail-end areas with low water pressure and supply during the emergency supply cut periods.

As per the project report, seen by HT, the existing tanker system relies on manual processes, telephone requests and locally maintained records across ward and zonal offices which results in limited real-time visibility, delayed response, duplicate requests and difficulties in verifying deliveries.

These issues had been evident during recent water crisis over the summer months. In May this year, DJB estimated a requirement of 1,015 tankers, while residents complained of inadequate deployment and unresponsive helplines, as per DJB data. Delays in tanker supply also triggered protests as Delhi faced shortage of over 100 million gallon water per day (MGD).

A DJB official said the integrated system will allow residents to request tankers through multiple channels, including a web portal, WhatsApp, call centre, AI chatbot and ward or zonal offices. “A software based allocation engine will then identify the nearest available tanker, check its capacity and driver availability, select a suitable filling point and generate an efficient route,” the official explained.

DJB’s tanker fleet dependence has expanded significantly during successive summer crises. DJB’s 2026 summer plan included more than 1,200 tankers, the data shows. Tanker trips went from 106,501 in May 2025 to 188,618 in May this year -- an increase of 77%.

Besides, the DJB official said that the new system also seeks to address a longstanding monitoring gap. A 2025 performance audit by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India found that only 21-38% of hired tankers had GPS during the period examined, while the department’s tankers had no GPS during the 2017-18 and 2021-22 periods. The audit mentioned that the lack of monitoring increased the risk of theft, pilferage and diversion of water.

“Under the new system, GPS tracking, geo-fencing, route-deviation alerts and estimated time prediction will be integrated with a unified command centre. Upon putting up a request, the resident will receive a unique tracking link showing the live location and expected arrival of their tanker. DJB will also be able to record when a tanker enters a filling point and precisely how much water it receives,” the official added. Further, OTP verification and geo-tagged photographs will be used to create proof of delivery.

Moreover, tanker filling stations will also be reformed to tackle water wastage and unauthorised filling, as per the report.

The DJB official said that under the new system, as soon as a tanker enters the water filling station, the driver will be informed of the delivery location and the specific bay number where the water is to be collected. “Drivers will use a mobile application equipped with a QR code feature; water can be drawn from the bay hose only after scanning this QR code. The volume of water filled into the tanker will be measured using a flow meter,” the official said. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at all DJB filling stations to read the tankers’ number plates.

Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma said Delhi needs a water system that works when there is an emergency or a breakdown. “These decisions are about building that kind of system, where planning, technology, and accountability work together. Technology will help us make the system more accountable and efficient,” he added.