Delhi water crisis update: DJB warns of shortage till 4 Feb; Rohini, Dwarka, Inderlok, Pitampura, Rajouri, more affected

There seems to be no near resolve to Delhi water crisis as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) recently dropped an update suggesting that the water supply would resume to full capacity after 4 February. Out of nine major water treatment plants, only 3 are operating in full capacity currently. This implies that six of its water treatment plants are either non-functional or operating at a fraction of their capacity.

Delhi Jal Board in a post on X stated, "Due to the temporary disruption in raw water supply by the Haryana Irrigation & W.R. Department, water production has been affected in some parts of Delhi. DJB is closely monitoring the situation and making all possible efforts to rationalize and manage water supply. Residents are advised to use water judiciously during this period."

On Thursday, DJB confirmed complete shutdown of the city’s largest facility, the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP). It supplies 110 million gallons per day (MGD) to central, north, south, and New Delhi areas. This has impacted water supply in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) zone, Old Delhi, Model Town and Defence Colony, among others.

Unscheduled maintenance on Haryana's Munak canal has exacerbated the water crisis situation in the capital city. According to DJB, it received a notice from Haryana’s irrigation department on January 19 regarding the canal closure which is a vital conduit for Delhi. This has impacted six water treatment plants — Dwarka, Bawana, Nangloi, Haiderpur's Phase I, II and III. This maintenance activity has reduced the raw water supply from the source by half.

On Wednesday, DJB said that water supply was temporarily suspended to several locations that received potable water from Wazirabad and Chandrawal Water Treatment Plants due to the presence of high ammonia levels and pollutants in Yamuna river water.

The overall disruption in water supply has resulted in 1000 MGD shortfall affecting almost entire Delhi — north, northwest, west, southwest, and central Delhi, Hindustan Times reported. According to NDMC officials, the water supply was cut by 45-50% even in the Lutyens’ Delhi zone, the administrative heart of the capital. Suggesting that 25-50% water production of Wazirabad and Chandrawal WTP has been affected, DJB said, “Water supply will be available at low pressure till the situation improves.”

DJB listed numerous affected areas under its jurisdiction, including Pitampura, Rajouri Garden, Kirti Nagar, Delhi Cantt, Dwarka, IGI Airport, Sadar Bazar, Rohini, RK Puram, Moti Bagh, Sarojini Nagar, Shivaji Stadium, Punjabi Bagh, ISBT, Delhi Gate, Model Town, ITO, Rajghat, Inderlok, Mangolpri, Panchkuian Road, and parts of Chanakyapuri, among others.