Spiking temperature poses irrigation problem to Delhi civic body parks

Of the 3,984 tubewells, 701 are non-functional, with East Delhi accounting for more than 70% of the defunct ones

Faced with rapidly rising mercury levels, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is grappling with an irrigation challenge” to maintain 15,230 colony parks, spanning an area of 5,166 acres, across the city, given that hundreds of tubewells are non-operational, especially in the trans-Yamuna areas, according to MCD data.

An MCD park in Mayur Vihar Phase-2. (HT Archive)

A status report on irrigation facilities released by MCD said there are 3,984 tubewells used to irrigate parks, besides water tankers and treated water at some locations. Of the 3,984 tubewells, 701 are non-functional, with east Delhi accounting for more than 70% of the defunct ones, according to the report.

East Delhi problem

The geographical distribution of non-functional tubewell sites shows that of the 702, the maximum, at 329, are located in Shahadara south zone, followed by 179 in the Shahadara north zone — both of which are located in the trans-Yamuna region — 51 in Rohini zone, 35 in Keshavpuram, 33 in central zone, 30 in Civil Lines zone, 18 in west zone, 17 in Najafgarh zone and nine in Karol Bagh zone. In the remaining three zones, south, Narela and city Sadar Paharganj zone, all irrigation sites are functional.

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MCD occupies an area of 1397.3 square kilometres across 12 zones: centre, south, west, Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, SP-City, Keshavpuram, Narela, Shahdara north and Shahdara south. Around 1,022 parks are above the one-acre category, while the rest are smaller parks.

Residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) in East Delhi argue that a lack of water translates to poorly managed parks.

Vinod Nair, heads of Mayur Vihar Phase-3 Pocket-D RWA, said that on one hand, the government asks residents to promote greenery, questioning how to do so in the absence of a “basic service like water”.

“Initially, tankers were provided for our parks, but over the past nine months, even those tankers have stopped. We have filed many complaints but nothing has been done. MCD has failed to maintain parks in our area,” he said.

BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA joint front, said that the irrigation problem in parks reaches its peak in June. “During peak summer, the city faces a water supply shortage and even drinking water tankers are not available. NGT (National Green Tribunal) ordered sealing of borewells, but we need to work out a practical solution. Rainwater harvesting structures and small ponds need to be developed to capture rainwater. We need to recharge more water from these green spaces, as compared to the water we extract to maintain them,” he said.

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Water-deficient Delhi receives an annual average rainfall of 617-670mm, which can be used to recharge groundwater. However, most of it goes to waste every monsoon,according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) titled “Roadmap for implementation of water sensitive urban design and planning in Delhi”.

The study has also advocated water harvesting in parks and open spaces of Delhi to augment the drainage system and address issues related to urban flooding. Delhi’s parks have the potential to harvest 12,800 million litres of rainwater every year, the CSE report said.

Replacing groundwater with treated wastewater

A second municipal official from the horticulture department said that under the long-term project for replacing fresh irrigation water with treated wastewater, the corporation plans to target 11,869 parks that currently require 9.92 million gallons of water per day. “This will help shut 3,339 tubewells at an estimated expenditure of ₹291.76 crore,” the official said.

The action plan to reuse the treated water said 4459.54-acre area could be irrigated with wastewater.

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The corporation already operates 32 smaller sewage treatment plants (STPs), which are used to irrigate around 3% of MCD parks. “One-fifty parks in Vasant Kunj are being irrigated through STP in the area, which produces 480 KLD (kilolitres per day) water. Similarly, 430 KLD plant in Okhla is used to water 103 parks, spread over 43 acres, while treatment plants in hotels are also being put to use in parks located in the vicinity. The establishments under this project include Hotel Jaypee Vasant Kunj, Hyatt Regency and Select City Walk,” the report said.

While Delhi Jal Board (DJB) produces around 530 million gallons a day (MGD) of treated wastewater every day, its utilisation of this resource is as low as 89 MGD, according to the economic survey of Delhi 2023-24. This water is being supplied to DDA Golf Course in Bhalswa, Sanjay Van, and Garden of Five Senses, besides washing vehicles.

In February 2021, NGT directed DJB to ensure the supply of treated water, with adequate pressure, to public parks and to stop groundwater extraction for gardening. The tribunal previously prohibited Delhi Development Authority (DDA), MCD and DJB from using freshwater for gardening.

An MCD official said no progress was made by DJB in setting up a pipeline network for supplying water to parks and the civic body is now forced to take steps to implement this project.

DJB did not respond to queries seeking comment on the issue.