With small hopes of an end to the water dispute with Haryana Government, the Capital will face an acute crisis between May-June as temperatures hit the high point. Compared to the current water production of 835 million gallons a day (MGD), the city’s demand stands at a staggering 1,025 MGD.
According to experts, demand for water in the city in peak summer generally goes up 100 MGD.
The Delhi Government has been trying to get the dispute resolved with Haryana for long. If resolved, it will fetch 80 MGD additional water through Munak Canal. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, seeking his intervention in the matter.
Out of the 835 MGD, 735 MGD is sourced out from the Yamuna and Ganga rivers and the Bhakra Beas and the remaining 100 MGD is under ground water, which extracted by the Delhi Jal Board.
Despite failing to add 80 MGD of water (from the Munak Canal) to its kitty, the Government is trying to meet demands of the people in its own small ways. Besides, the body has also focused on replacing around 200 km of old pipelines along with other leakage repair works.
As the significant quantity is lost due to the leakages, the tapping leakages is going to help the DJB in big ways. The water wastage due to leakages is 10-15 per cent. It has installed four lakh new water meters to manage water accounting and check water wastage.
A senior official of the DJB said as demand is higher and production is less, it all depends on management of water. This summer, the DJB will be providing water to 41 unauthorised colonies as it has laid down water lines there making the number of piped network available in such areas go up to 800. It has also introduced 400 new water tankers to supply water in colonies situated in tail end.