Yamuna levels low: operations at two water treatment plants hit

Water supply in parts of Delhi dropped 25-30% due to low Yamuna levels, affecting treatment plants and sparking public complaints amid a heatwave.

Water supply to parts of Delhi were affected on Sunday due to a fall in the Yamuna water levels, to below-normal level of 674.5 feet at the Wazirabad barrage, which impacted operations at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants (WTPs), officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said.

The Wazirabad barrage where water from the Yamuna is stored and lifted for water treatment plants in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

As of Sunday morning, water level at Wazirabad was 668.7 feet, officials said.This led to a 25-30% dip in potable water supply to north, central and west Delhi, they said.

Ashok Bhasin, who heads North Delhi Residents Welfare Federation said that people in large parts of north Delhi were receiving half of the normal water supply. “The pressure is low and timing has been cut down to half. This time, DJB did not properly warn RWAs in advance, unlike previous years. We are getting complaints from areas like Sabzi Mandi, Roshanara Road, Malkaganj, Bara Hindu Rao. The water reservoir near the Hindu Rao hospital has not been normally filled over the last two days,” said Bhasin

Of a targeted 1,000mgd (million gallons per day) water supply to the city through nine water treatment plants, the Wazirabad WTP supplies 134mgd and Chandrawal supplies 98mgd. Officials said the problem has been persisting since Friday.

Medha Upadhyay, a resident of Old Rajinder Nagar took to X to express her anguish. “Every alternate day the water supply is disrupted in Old Rajinder Nagar. A little rain takes place and there is no water and no electricity. What is the plan?” she wrote.

In an advisory, the DJB said areas in the catchment of Wazirabad WTP likely to be affected. These include Majnu Ka Tila, Kashmere Gate, Delhi Gate, Subhash Park, Gulabi Bagh, Timarpur, SFS Flats, Punjabi Bagh, Azadpur, Shalimar Bagh, Wazirpur, Model Town, Jahangirpuri and parts of south Delhi.

Shortfall at the Chandrawal WTP may impact include Civil Lines, Kamala Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Baljeet Nagar, Prem Nagar and Inderpuri, among others.

“The public is advised to make judicious use of water and water tankers shall be available on demand from DJB helpline central control room at 1916,” DJB said in the advisory.

The issue turned political, as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj said that people of Delhi were suffering due to water shortage amid a heatwave. “From Ambedkar Nagar, Deoli assembly to Badarpur, people are facing acute water shortage. Tankers are not available and even for tubewell water, people are queuing up for hours,” Bhardwaj said.

“The BJP must state how many additional tubewells have been installed under the summer action plan....There is around 100mgd of water supply shortfall and the four-engine government is unable to get water from Haryana,” he added.

The BJP spokesperson and the office of the water minister did not respond to HT’s request for a comment on the issue.

With a rise in temperatures, Yamuna witnesses frequent spells of low water levels during the summer months. The Wazirabad barrage was built in 1959 on the Yamuna and it forms the primary holding area from where raw water is lifted to the Wazirabad and Chandrawal treatment plants. DJB operates seven other WTPs across the city; however, the water supply problem is presently restricted to the two facilities, said DJB officials.