Water supply to north, central Delhi to be affected due to repair work at Chandrawal plant

Chandrawal water treatment plant will face disruptions on April 15-16, affecting water supply in central and north Delhi areas, warns DJB.

The operations of the Chandrawal water treatment plant are once again likely to be impacted, leading to partial water supply disruption in central and north Delhi areas, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on Tuesday.

The supply will remain disrupted or available at low pressure on April 15 and 16 in areas such as Karol Bagh, Paharganj, NDMC areas, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar and Baljeet Nagarl. (Representative photo)

The water utility said supply will remain disrupted or available at low pressure on April 15 and 16 in areas such as Karol Bagh, Paharganj, NDMC areas, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Baljeet Nagar, parts of the Cantonment, Civil Lines, and the area around Hindu Rao Hospital.

“Due to some urgent emergency works, there will be a shutdown of Chandrawal Water Works-2 on April 15 for six hours from 10am onwards. Therefore, potable water supply from Chandrawal Water Works will remain affected or available at low pressure on April 15 and 16,” the DJB said in a statement.

The water utility said supply will remain disrupted or available at low pressure on April 15 and 16.

A senior DJB official said the disruption is not likely to be of the magnitude seen last month and repairs are likely to be completed soon. “Last month, the entire pump room was flooded and motors were damaged. The scale is much smaller this time,” the official said.

Chandrawal WTP is the oldest water treatment facility in the national capital and is prone to frequent breakdowns and disruptions. On March 22, operations at Chandrawal WTP-2 came to a complete halt after a major 600mm-diameter backwash pipeline near the pump house was damaged, leading to flooding within the premises. It took DJB nine days to fully restore supply.

The city’s oldest plant has seen multiple disruptions due to repair works over the past year, including maintenance on July 20 and August 4; leakage in the main rising supply line on November 16; and valve damage on August 18.

Earlier this year, the plant saw a leakage episode on February 12. The March disruption was the longest in recent years. A DJB official said legacy motors and decades-old electrical equipment pose a challenge as spare parts are not readily available. Besides, moisture in the pumps leads to frequent tripping. “This is a very old plant. A new 105 MGD facility is ready here and once it becomes operational, these issues will be resolved,” the official said.

DJB has advised people in the catchment areas to make judicious use of water. “Residents may contact emergency numbers to procure water tankers,” the DJB statement said.