Haryana denied Munak tubewell plan: DJB

Haryana's irrigation department opposes DJB's plan for tube wells along Munak canal, citing concerns over water sharing and flow alteration.

The Haryana irrigation department has objected to the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) plan to add tube wells along the Munak canal section in Delhi for extracting groundwater and augmenting the water supply, officials said on Tuesday.

According to DJB officials, the groundwater levels along the canal are high and the alignment has good quality groundwater aquifers however Haryana argued it alters the water sharing via the canal. (Hindustan Times)

According to DJB officials, the groundwater levels along the canal are high and the alignment has good quality groundwater aquifers however Haryana argued it alters the water sharing via the canal.

A senior DJB official said the issue was raised in a recent meeting held with the irrigation department of Haryana. “Along with adding the tube wells in floodplains, we also proposed adding them along the Munak canal but the Haryana irrigation department refused to provide the permission. Haryana manages the canal which carries water from Khubru barrage near border till Haiderpur,” the official added.

A second official said that IIT Roorkee has been hired for assessment of the water potential along Munak among other projects aimed at improving the city’s water supply. “Water from these tubewells can be supplied to Haiderpur water treatment plant. The canal exists as a water carrying channel. Hundreds of tube wells can be set up along its length. Haryana has argued that the water seeps naturally from the canals and large-scale extraction and deep boring activity may alter the flow. They have suggested the tube wells should be at least 100m away from canal,” the official said.

Officials from the Haryana irrigation department did to respond to HT’s queries for a comment on the matter by the time of going to print.

The 2025-26 economic survey tabled in the Delhi assembly states that the DJB now estimates the city’s water demand to be 1250 MGD leaving a demand-supply gap of 250 MGD (million gallons per day). The daily water supply in Delhi has remained constant at around 1000 MGD in 2024, 2025 and 2026. It includes 1133 cusec (612.5 MGD) from Yamuna, DSB and CLC canals; 470 cusec (254.08 MGD) from Ganga and around 135 MGD from ground water resources such as tubewells and ranney wells. Delhi remains primarily reliant on its neighbours for its raw water supply.

With no additional supply from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, DJB has become increasingly dependent on its groundwater extraction. As part of its summer action plan 2026, DJB said that 436 additional tube wells will be commissioned before summer, increasing the overall number to 6,290.