Govt prepares plan to ensure water supply during peak summer demand
With temperatures soaring, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday reviewed the preparations to ensure the capital does not face a water shortage.
She said water demand in the city rises significantly during the summer months, while overall production remains almost the same. Keeping this in mind, the Government has prepared the ‘Summer Action Plan-2026’ to ensure adequate water supply across Delhi, provide quick relief to areas facing shortages, and address public complaints promptly.
Officials informed the meeting that Delhi, with a population of around 2.5 crore, requires about 1,250 million gallons of water per day (MGD) as per standard norms. At present, the city receives roughly 1,000 MGD, and the summer action plan has been designed to manage this gap more effectively during peak demand.
Following the meeting, the Chief Minister said that under the plan, maximum water production will be ensured from all water treatment plants in the city. She added that preventive measures such as cleaning underground and surface reservoirs, repairing pumping stations, maintaining equipment, and monitoring and repairing pipeline leakages have already been carried out to avoid any disruption in water supply during the summer.
To provide relief to areas facing water shortages, the government has further strengthened the water tanker system. The Delhi Jal Board has deployed 168 departmental tankers and 819 hired tankers, and around 200 additional tankers may be hired during peak summer demand if required. To make tanker operations more transparent and efficient, a driver mobile application has been introduced. Through this app, tankers will be tracked using GPS, and water deliveries will be confirmed through photographic proof.
This will allow officials to monitor operations in real time, while residents will also be able to track tanker movements in their areas.
The Chief Minister said that under the Summer Action Plan, detailed arrangements have been prepared for each Assembly constituency.
These include colony-wise water supply hours, tanker routes, identification of water shortage locations, and mapping of sensitive areas so that immediate action can be taken whenever required.
Monitoring water quality is also a key component of the plan. The Delhi Jal Board tests around 1,600 to 1,700 water samples daily.
Laboratories at water treatment plants and zonal labs across the city carry out these tests. In addition, the number of water sampling vehicles will be increased from 12 to 18 to strengthen monitoring across the distribution network.
Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta also highlighted that the DJB’s 24×7 call centre is operational for quick resolution of public complaints. Citizens can register complaints anytime by calling 1916 or the toll-free number 1800117118. A central control room and chatbot system have also been introduced to speed up complaint registration and monitoring.
To handle water-related emergencies, 28 water emergency centres have been set up across the city. These centres operate round the clock and have been strengthened with adequate staff, communication systems, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure swift response in case of any disruption.
The Chief Minister said the Delhi government’s priority is to ensure that every resident of the capital receives clean and adequate drinking water even during the peak summer months. The Summer Action Plan 2026, she added, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at strengthening water supply management, monitoring systems, and grievance redressal across the city.
