Major areas in north, central Delhi to face water shortage
Chanakyapuri, Kashmere Gate, Mori Gate, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Paharganj are among the several locations in North and Central Delhi which will receive reduced water supply due to problems at Chandrawal WTP, a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) order said on Friday.
Though the DJB order didn’t specify the number of days the supply will remain affected, a senior official of the board said, “The supply time has been reduced for the next couple of days.”
The supply, which was twice a day, will now either be in the morning or evening, as per the water roster issued by DJB for the several underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations connected to Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
Areas like Hindurao Hospital, Naya Bazaar, Kashmere Gate, Motia Khan, Pusa Road, Rajender Nagar, and Paharganj will receive water supply only in the morning. Other locations like Vinay Marg, Chanakyapuri, Nehru Park, Ashoka Hotel, Akbar Road, and Sarojini Nagar will receive water only during evening hours. Since March 22, several areas in central Delhi and under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have been affected due to damage to a 600-mm diameter water pipeline at the Chandrawal plant.
“Apologies for the inconvenience. Teams from the Delhi Jal Board are working at war footing to restore water supply,” the order further read. Tankers have been deployed in Karol Bagh, Old and New Rajender Nagar, West and East Patel Nagar and adjoining areas.
The supply, which was twice a day, will now either be in the morning or evening, as per the water roaster issued by DJB for the several underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations connected to Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
Chandrawal WTP-II came to a complete halt after a major 600 mm diameter backwash pipeline near the pump house was damaged, leading to severe waterlogging within the premises. As a result, all electrical and mechanical (E&M) equipment became non-operational, bringing pumping activities to a standstill. Chandrawal WTP is a critical installation supplying potable water to central Delhi, including NDMC areas. According to Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, repair and restoration work was initiated on a war footing on the same day to restore operations at the pump house.
“After continuous efforts, the plant was made operational in a phased manner on March 25, 2026. However, due to residual moisture, faults have been repeatedly occurring in the repaired motors during operational hours, affecting the normal water supply. At present, about 47 MGD is functional against the installed capacity of 58 MGD,” the minister said in a statement.
According to DJB, the motors installed at Chandrawal Phase-II WTP are customised old units with a 6.6 kV rating, and their spare parts are not readily available.
These heavy-duty motors require considerable time for repair and restoration. To safeguard the repaired motors and prevent flashing or short-circuiting, extra precautions are being taken, and the motors are being operated intermittently. Efforts are ongoing to stabilise the system and restore full supply at the earliest.
To ensure equitable distribution of available water across all areas under the command of Chandrawal WTP, a revised supply roster has been implemented with effect from March 27, 2026. Under this arrangement, water supply will be provided once daily (instead of twice) in most areas, either in the morning or evening, depending on the zone.
To provide interim relief and ensure continued water availability, around 100 additional water tankers have been deployed in the affected areas.
The supply, which was twice a day, will now either be in the morning or evening
