NDMC to ensure smooth water supply to Delhi slums this summer

NDMC vice chairman Kuljeet Chahal said they are also working on study of the water supply network to develop a Master Plan for the next 25 years

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Monday said it will focus on ensuring water supply to 34 slums in its jurisdiction, besides implementing other measures in its area such as new water distribution schemes, additional water tankers, pipeline improvement, and water quality monitoring as part of the summer action plan.

Cloudy sky at Kartavya Path on Monday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

NDMC vice chairman Kuljeet Chahal said that the civic body, overseeing the New Delhi areas, is also working on study of the water supply network to develop a Master Plan for the next 25 years.

Delhi is a water-stressed city, especially during the summers when surging water demand lead to supply shortages and reduced supply pressure in various parts of the city.

Chahal said: “Summer action plan outlines short term and future measures to ensure water supply including the acquisition of 16 large-capacity CNG water trolleys to serve slum areas. The pilot project for 24*7 water supply at Vinay Marg is scheduled to commence from April. The council plans to establish 9,386 water connections across 34 JJ Clusters within the next six months under Har Ghar Jal project at a cost of ₹7.15 crore.”

To be sure, the present demand of the council area is estimated to be 148 million liters per day (MLD) while the raw water availability is about 125 MLD. Unlike the other parts of the city where Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is the water utility, NDMC treats, stores and distributes the water supply network of New Delhi on its own. However, it is dependent on DJB for supplying raw water to the area.

The permanent static population of NDMC region is around 230,000, while the floating population of the area is around 1.8 million, with a large number of office spaces, markets, tourist sites located in the region. The area has a total of 18,366 water consumers, including 3,509 commercial connections, 11,846 domestic connections, and 3,011 other types of connections.

Under the summer action plan, NDMC has identified areas prone to water shortages during summer, including Gol Market, Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House, North and South block, along with areas around RML Hospital and Mandir Marg.

. Under the long term plan, the council will replace the existing water meters with smart water meters at cost of ₹32.10 crore. In the first phase, 5,397 water meters will be replaced at an estimated cost of ₹14.10 crore.