Water supply to south, central Delhi may be disrupted due to annual canal maintenance

NDMC warns that several south and central Delhi areas may see reduced or disrupted supply, and changes in water taste, until November 8, 2026.

Water supply to parts of south and central Delhi may be disrupted up to November 8 due to annual maintenance and repair of the Upper Ganga Canal, which supplies raw water to two key water treatment plants, senior officials of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said on Thursday.

The Upper Ganga Canal in neighbouring UP supplies 256mgd of water to Delhi. (HT Archive)

Areas that may be impacted include Bharti Nagar, Golf Links, Lodhi Estate, Khan Market, Rabindra Nagar, parts of Lodhi Road, High Court, Bapa Nagar, Pandara Road, Jor Bagh, parts of Lodhi Colony, BK Dutt Colony, Amrita Shergil Marg, parts of Janpath, Aliganj, parts of Prithviraj Road, Kidwai Nagar, Laxmibai Nagar, The President’s Estate, new PMO, and Kaka Nagar, the civic body stated.

In an advisory, NDMC said water supply from Sonia Vihar WTP will be shut. “During this closure period, water will be supplied from the Yamuna River. Consequently, the taste of the supplied water may vary. Additionally, a reduction in water supply is expected in the affected areas and may continue until 8 November 2026,” it said.

Officials said the annual work, carried out ahead of Diwali, also leads to increased turbidity in the water. The canal carries raw water to the Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi water treatment plants, which supply 140 million gallon per day (mgd) and 110mgd water to central and south Delhi.

A senior DJB official, who did not wish to be named, said, “People are still advised to keep back up as there may be occasional disruptions during the maintenance period. The taste of water can also witness a perceived change.”

A second official, who also requested not to be named, said that over the past few days, the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department has been cleaning the Upper Ganga Canal, which has led to the suspension of raw water supply from the canal. “The maintenance usually lasts up to Diwali and fluctuation in water supply can be observed during this period. During this period, a small amount of raw water would still flow from the canal. We are in touch with the UP Irrigation Department to expedite the work,” the official said.

Delhi receives a total of 256mgd of raw water from the Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh, which flows from the Muradnagar regulator. Of this, 144mgd is supplied to the Sonia Vihar plant and 112mgd to the Bhagirathi plant.