As temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius, Delhi is facing a severe water crisis. Plummeting Yamuna levels and power failures at treatment plants have slashed the city’s water supply, triggering political accusations amid the Lok Sabha elections.
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials have reported that the water level in the Yamuna has been plummeting over the past few days. Coupled with power failures at treatment facilities, the water utility supplied only 977.79 million gallons per day (mgd) on Tuesday, falling short of the 1000 mgd target.
The Wazirabad barrage in north Delhi, the primary holding area for raw water for the Wazirabad and Chandrawal treatment plants, has seen dwindling water levels, impacting several areas including Kamla Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, and more.
According to the DJB’s summer action plan, the Wazirabad plant aims to produce 134 mgd, but recent figures fell short with 125.52 mgd on Monday and 122.40 mgd on Tuesday, Hindustan Times reported.
Less treatment is due to low level of river Yamuna at Wazirabad pond resulting into less treatment at Wazirabad WTP,” the DJB bulletin stated.
Despite the normal water storage level of 674.50 feet, officials did not disclose the current level. An official told the publication, “We are diverting water from CLC to balance out the impact of raw water availability in the Yamuna, due to which water supply may go down from twice a day to once a day.”
Power outages have further disrupted operations at treatment plants. The Haiderpur plant’s production dropped from 241.66 mgd on Monday to 228.33 mgd on Tuesday due to a power failure. Similarly, minor drops in production were noted at the Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi WTPs.
On Monday, DJB received 750 complaints related to water supply, with 492 concerning zero water supply. Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents Welfare Association, highlighted water pressure issues in areas like Malkaganj, Timarpur, and Model Town. “If the situation is not fixed, we may be staring at a larger crisis in the coming days,” he warned.
Officials caution that shortages may soon affect more parts of the city. A senior official stated, “The water levels in the river are continuously going down and if a similar situation persists, the water crisis in the city may worsen. We are in touch with the counterparts in Haryana to release more raw water.”
Amid the crisis, Delhi Cabinet Minister Atishi has alleged a political “conspiracy” by the BJP, accusing the Haryana government of halting the water supply to the capital. She claimed this is part of a series of actions aimed at discrediting the AAP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Atishi warned of potential manipulation by the BJP to create a water crisis and sway voters. “They want to create a water crisis in the capital. I want to warn the people of Delhi that in the coming days till May 25, more such things will happen. They will do this to manipulate voters. I want to tell BJP that you cannot fool the people of Delhi,” she asserted.
Hitting back at the Water Minister Atishi, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said “Fearing its defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the AAP has come out with a new lie. When we raised the issue of the water supply crisis on Monday the minister did not utter a word and now she is blaming the BJP.”
Sachdeva further alleged that “Delhi CM Kejriwal had written a letter to her from Tihar a month ago to address the issues of water supply. She should tell what was done in the past month. The corruption and inaction of the AAP government is responsible for the shortage of water in Delhi.”
(With inputs from PTI)
