Ganga water supply to halt in Noida, Ghaziabad till Diwali

UP Jal Nigam to suspend canal flow for annual maintenance; authorities plan borewell and tanker supply to meet demand during festive season.

The Ganga water supply to areas in Ghaziabad and Noida will be suspended from Saturday night and will resume only after Diwali, officials of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam said on Friday. The disruption follows the annual maintenance of the Upper Ganga Canal, which began on October 2. 

Water supply to resume after October 20; civic bodies to rely on borewells and tankers as festive demand peaks during canal maintenance. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Officials said water will be released into the canal from Haridwar on the night of October 20 and will reach Ghaziabad within two to three days. “Due to the closure of the canal, the water supply is expected to stop from Saturday night. It is expected that water will again be released into the canal from Haridwar from the night of October 20 and will reach here in the next 2-3 days. The water supply in the canal has been shut due to annual maintenance,” said Bhramanand, executive engineer, UP Jal Nigam. 

 The Jal Nigam operates three Ganga water treatment plants at Pratap Vihar in Ghaziabad with a combined capacity of about 480 million litres per day (MLD), supplying treated water to Ghaziabad and Noida. During the maintenance period, cleaning, repair and desilting work is carried out in the canal flowing from Haridwar towards Kanpur. 

Residents said the timing of the shutdown, coinciding with the festive season, causes recurring hardship. “It is a time when there is a festive season and demand for water is high. There are pumps bored by the agencies, and these need to be rebored as the groundwater level in our areas is depleting fast. So, the shutdown affects residents, and alternative supply falls short,” said Kuldeep Saxena, resident of Shakti Khand, Indirapuram. 

KP Anand, general manager (water works), Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, said the civic body will rely on borewell pumps in Vasundhara, Vaishali, and Indirapuram and deploy 72 water tankers if required. Indirapuram township came under the corporation’s control after a transfer from the Ghaziabad Development Authority under an MoU signed on September 6, 2024. 

Meanwhile, RP Singh, general manager (water works), Noida authority assured stable supply during the period. “The Noida authority will continue to supply smooth drinking water to citizens during the period when the maintenance of the Upper Ganga canal will take place. This repair and maintenance takes place every year so there is not need to worry for the citizens. We will use ground water to address the shortfall,” Singh said.