Several areas in Delhi will continue to face water shortage till November 1, The Indian Express reported. This comes as maintenance in two treatment plants and high pollution levels in the Yamuna have hit the supply.
The areas affected by the issue include prime locations such as Lajpat Nagar, Mayur Vihar, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar, Greater Kailash, Vasant Kunj, Kalkaji, Amar Colony, Panchsheel Park, Sarita Vihar, Malviya Nagar, Geetanjali Enclave. Besides this, some areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have also been hit.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) reports that the Bhagirathi and Sonia Vihar water treatment plants (WTPs) are currently operating at only 30 per cent capacity and must temporarily rely on the Yamuna River.
However, ammonia levels in the Yamuna have risen to over 1.5 parts per million (ppm), impacting the treatment capacity. The Bhagirathi and Sonia Vihar WTPs, with capacities of 110 million gallons per day (MGD) and 140 MGD respectively, treat water sourced from both the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) stated that until October 21, Ganga water was supplied through ponding at multiple points along the Upper Ganga Canal. However, this supply was interrupted due to scheduled annual maintenance by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department. The WTPs were then expected to rely on the Yamuna as an alternate raw water source until midnight on October 31. However, high ammonia levels in the Yamuna prevented the WTPs from processing water from the river.
