With the number of protests in the city for shortage and poor quality of water supply on the rise, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has claimed that it is fully prepared to meet the rising demand this summer. According to the board, it has increased the number of water tankers and plugged several leakages to augment availability of water.
Speaking to The Pioneer about the board’s preparation for summers, DJB Chief Executive Officer Debashree Mukherjee said, “Till now around 85 leakages have been plugged. Besides, we are introducing another 167 stainless steel water tankers in a month and a half. Earlier, these tankers were very difficult to track causing hindrances in water distribution. But now, these tankers will be equipped with GPS system.”
Also, 200 old pipelines have been replaced and additional tube-wells have been installed along with new water lines in 41 unauthorised colonies, she added. Estimates, on the other hand, suggest that almost 40 per cent of water in the national Capital is wasted due to leakages in pipelines.
Interestingly, the board has claimed to be adequate in supplying water in the city despite a huge demand-supply deficit. In its defense, Mukherjee said, “Till now, we have completed 81.3 per cent of water connections in the city. The stated demand of the city is 1,025 million gallons a day (MGD). This demand covers even those areas which are not under the jurisdiction of the board. We would be promptly able to supply water in areas under us.” Experts, however, believe that this demand would be further topped up with an additional 100 MGD in peak summers.
The board, in order to ensure water availability in areas where ground water level is low, has initiated pilot projects for long-term benefit. “We have begun two major projects in Vasant Vihar and Malviya Nagar. This is to ensure that service delivery is more efficient. Not only would it help in solving the problem of intermittent water supply, but it would also contribute in improving the quality of water,” said Mukherjee.
On asking about the status of redevelopment of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), she replied, “Two STPs in Keshopur and Okhla have been completely redeveloped. There are eight more plants to be worked upon. After this, now we are getting 72 MGD of water from Keshopur. Apart from this, we have upgraded the treatment level from 30 Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) to 10 BOD and from 50 solid substances to 10.”
Mukherjee maintained that the major complaints received by the board pertain to leakages and contamination. “Service lines are not maintained properly which leads to contamination of water. We came up with the plan of maintaining these lines while they would pay us. But, due to a cold response from the public nothing has been done on it so far,” she said.
She also said that the agency has already made piped water supply available to 800 unauthorised colonies and that it would cover 126 more such settlements by end of this year.
“Preventive maintenance works like flushing of water mains, cleaning of under ground reservoirs and servicing of equipment at the pump houses have been carried out to ensure uninterrupted functioning of water distribution network during the summer months,” Mukherjee said.