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Ammonia spike in Yamuna disrupts Delhi water supply
New Delhi: Rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna, indicating increased untreated waste and pollutants, have led to water supply disruptions, particularly in areas receiving water from the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant
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New Delhi: Rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna, indicating increased untreated waste and pollutants, have led to water supply disruptions, particularly in areas receiving water from the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant.
The spike comes as the city prepares for the Chhath Puja festival. While Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has not issued any official advisory, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in a statement stated that due to a sudden increase in pollution levels in Yamuna raw water, water production at Sonia Vihar WTP has been curtailed, affecting water supply in its command area, including several NDMC areas.
The affected areas, according to the NDMC, may include Bharti Nagar, Golf Links, Lodhi Estate, Khan Market, Rabindra Nagar.
Parts of Lodhi Road, High Court, Bapa Nagar, Parts of Pandara Park, Jor Bagh, Parts of Lodhi Colony, B.K. Dutt Colony, Amrita Shergil Marg, parts of Janpath, Prithviraj Road, Kidwai Nagar, Laxmibai Nagar, The President’s Estate, Kaka Nagar, among other places.
A DJB official said that ammonia levels of around 1.5-2 ppm (parts per million) are being observed in the Yamuna at the inlet point, and any levels above 0.9 ppm lead to disruption. “We have started getting water from the Upper Ganga Canal and sludge washing has been carried out. We will use Ganga water to dilute the raw water supply,” an official said. DJB did not comment on the status of the Wazirabad and Chandrawal plants, which the Yamuna also feeds.
Periodic spikes in ammonia levels (indicative of pollutants) have been a long-standing point of dispute between Delhi and Haryana. DJB argues that the industrial pollutants, such as dyes, chlorides and ammonia-based chemicals, flow from the Panipat industrial dye drain. Besides Panipat, DJB also regularly cites the intermixing of industrial waste in Sonipat, where two canals carrying freshwater and industrial water run parallel, separated by a sand wall a few inches thick.
