Idols, puja waste block DJB pump; affect water supply

Here’s a telling example of what immersion of idols does to the Yamuna and in turn to the water supply system, reports HT Correspondent.

Here’s a telling example of what immersion of idols does to the Yamuna and in turn to the water supply system.

HT Image

Dumping of Durga idols and religious material (flowers, offerings, etc) in the past few days has blocked a key pump at the Haiderpur water treatment plant.

The result: north, northwest and parts of West Delhi will get less water in the next few days as it will take some time to clean the mess.

The Haiderpur plant, which supplies drinking water to North and parts of West Delhi, generally produces 225 million-gallons per day (MGD).

As result of the blockage, it is producing 180 MGD—around 20 per cent less water than it usually does.

One million gallons of water can fill around 42,000 standard buckets.

Delhi gets an estimated 950 million gallons of water per day.

“We have this problem every year but this year’s is the worst,” said RK. .Garg, member, water supply, Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

“Supply had never been affected for so many days.”

Environmentalists and civic bodies have been trying to raise awareness about the ill effects of dumping idols and religious material in the Yamuna in vain.

And this annual headache for the DJB has been getting worse.

The board has often contemplated purchasing an expensive, Belgian machine that sucks the sludge out of the river.

“The cost of the machine runs into crores. That’s why

we were hesitant in purchasing it,” Garg said.