Delhi is battling a crisis with the water level in the Yamuna at Wazirabad dropping almost three feet below the desired level due to unbridled illegal sand mining in Haryana and the situation may worsen amid a prediction of extreme heat this year.
Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj inspected the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) on Tuesday as the water level in the Yamuna River continues to fall. The condition of Yamuna today is usually seen in the months of April and May in Delhi.
Bhardwaj alleged that the the key reason for the water level decrease in Yamuna is not rising temperatures but the rampant illegal sand mining being done indiscriminately in the Yamuna river in the state of Haryana. The AAP MLA, who will soon take an oath as Delhi Cabinet minister, disclosed that the sand mafia had stopped the Yamuna water released for Delhi in an area of about 7-8 km from Yamuna Nagar that lies in Haryana, where the sand mafia is indiscriminately mining sand in the Yamuna River.
“The sand mafia has made temporary bridges in the middle of the Yamuna River for illegal mining and the movement of trucks. It has also dug illegal big pits in the river bed by digging out the sand in huge quantities, due to which the Yamuna water is not reaching Delhi in sufficient quantity. Bhardwaj said that as per the court’s order, mining in Yamuna is completely illegal,” he said.
Targeting the Haryana Government, Bhardwaj asked why the Haryana Government is not looking at the illegal business which is happening there indiscriminately and why the Haryana Government is ignoring the illegal sand mining in Yamuna.
Bhardwaj informed that this time the water level of Yamuna near Wazirabad Barrage has suddenly gone down to 671.7 feet in the month of February itself. He said that the normal level of Yamuna River at Wazirabad Barrage should be 674.5 feet. He further informed that the depth of Yamuna here should be 3.5 feet, but presently it's even less than 1 foot.
The water level and depth of the Yamuna are measured from the sea level. Bhardwaj said that out of the present water level of 671.7 feet, Yamuna is silted up to 671 feet at Wazirabad Barrage, which means that the water depth is mere 0.7 feet.
He also said the depth of Yamuna should be at least 3.5 feet which allows the offtake of raw water from Yamuna for the Water Treatment Plant. He said that the visible water of Yamuna at the barrage is also not actually water from the Yamuna but actually the industrial waste released by Haryana that cannot be treated.
The water level in the Yamuna is 671.7 feet at present as compared to the desired level of 674.5 feet, he said. The DJB chairman said the water crisis is not only going to affect the public, but also Parliament, Rashtrapati Bhavan, LG House, CM Office and central and state government departments.
Delhi Water Minister Kailash Gahlot on Tuesday presided over a meeting with the officials of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Water Department to review the preparedness for the uninterrupted water supply ahead of the summer season in Delhi.
"Had a meeting with officials of the Delhi Jal Board to discuss the preparedness for constant water supply during the upcoming summer season in Delhi,” Gahlot said in a statement.
The DJB supplies 990 MGD of water, which includes 864 surface water and 126 MGD of groundwater. The present demand for the 21.5 million population in Delhi is 1290 MGD.
The DJB now operates 9 Water Treatment Plants (WTP), 16 Ranney Wells and 4681 Tube Wells. The 9 WTPs are at Sonia Vihar, Bhagirathi, Chandrawal, Wazirabad, Haiderpur, Nangloi, Okhla, Bawana and Dwarka. The number of the primary ground reservoir and booster pumping stations is 117, whereas the waterline network is 15300 km. In the water deficit areas in Delhi, DJB supplies water through 1200 tankers.