Amid the severe heatwave, Delhiites have been facing a water crisis for the last five days as the Yamuna has "almost dried up." The Delhi Government had also sent an ‘SOS’ to its neighbouring State Haryana, urging it to release water.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has written thrice to the Haryana Irrigation Department in this connection in a fortnight and had shot off request letters on May 12, May 3 and April 30.
"We are taking all measures necessary to meet the demand but the situation is worsening by the day due to the intense heat and Haryana releasing less water in the river," said an official on condition of anonymity.
Following the scarcity of water in the Capital, the DJB on Monday issued an advisory stating that the water supply in several parts of will be affected on May 17 morning.
The officials claimed that the water level at Wazirabad pond was recorded at 669.40 feet against the normal level of 674.50 feet and the production capacity at Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants has also dipped as the Yamuna has "almost dried up." According to the DJB’s advisory, the areas to be affected are Civil lines, Hindu Rao Hospital, Kamla Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Pahar Ganj and NDMC areas; New Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, Baljeet Nagar, Prem Nagar, Inderpuri, Kalkaji, Govindpuri, Tugalkabad, Sangam Vihar, Ambedkar Nagar.
“Prahladpur, Ramleela Ground, Delhi Gate, Subhash Park, Model Town, Gulabi Bagh, Punjabi Bagh, Jahangirpuri, Moolchand, South Extension, Greater Kailash, Burari, parts of cantonment areas and South Delhi,” advisory said in a statement.
“Due to depletion of pond level of Yamuna at Wazirabad Water Works 669.40 feet against the normal level of 674.50 feet and reduction in release of raw water by Haryana in river Yamuna, water production has been affected from Water Treatment Plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla. Water supply shall be affected since the Morning of 17.05.2022; till the pond level improves to normal,” advisory stated.
The DJB also advised the people of the capital city to make judicious use of water, to avoid any inconvenience. The water level in the Wazirabad pond on Saturday stood at 670.40 feet against the normal level of 674.50 feet. Last year in July, the pond level had dropped to 667 feet, prompting the DJB to move the Supreme Court seeking directions to Haryana to release additional water in the Yamuna.
Haryana supplies a total of 610 million gallons of water a day to Delhi through two canals, Carrier-Lined Channel (CLC), Delhi Sub-Branch (DSB), and the Yamuna.
The CLC and the DSB are supplied water from Hathni Kund via Munak canal and the Bhakra Beas Management Board. Besides, Delhi receives 253 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and 90 MGD is drawn from ranney wells and tube wells installed across the city.
The SOS sent on Thursday stated, "Even flow via CLC (Carrier-Lined Channel) and DSB (Delhi Sub-Branch) is fluctuating... The lifting of 120 cusec of water from the Wazirabad pond is affected due to low pond level. This will affect water production adversely. Due to peak summer, the water requirement is more.”
"It is requested to supply 150 cusec of raw water additionally through DD-8/river route, so as to ensure that 120 cusec of raw water reaches the Wazirabad pond in this time of crisis, till the arrival of monsoon," it further stated.