Water supply to be hit in Delhi from May 17, situation `worsening` due to intense heat

New Delhi: Amid soaring temperatures, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Monday (May 16, 2022) informed that the water supply in the capital will be affected from Tuesday. The officials said that the production capacity at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water treatment plants has dipped further as the Yamuna has "almost dried up".

"Due to depletion of pond level of Yamuna at Wazirabad Water Works 669.40 feet against the normal level of 674.50 feet and reduction in the release of raw water by Haryana in river Yamuna, water production has been affected from Water Treatment Plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla. Water supply shall be affected since the morning of 17.05.2022 & till the pond level improves to normal," the DJB said in a statement.

The areas where the water supply is likely to be affected are Civil Lines, Hindu Rao Hospital, Kamla Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, and NDMC areas, Old and New Rajinder Nagar, Kalkaji, Govindpuri, Tughlakabad, Sangam Vihar, Ramlila Ground, Delhi Gate, Punjabi Bagh, Jahangirpuri, South Extension, Greater Kailash, Burari, parts of Cantonment area and South Delhi.

It also advised people to store sufficient quantities of water in advance and issued helpline numbers to put in a request for water tankers. 

A DJB official told the PTI news agency that the water supply from these plants has reduced by up to 40 percent.

"The Yamuna has almost dried up. The water level in the Wazirabad pond has dipped to 669.40 feet, the lowest this year so far. Consequently, the production capacity at Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla water treatment plants has further dropped to 60-70 percent," the official said.

The DJB has reportedly written thrice to the Haryana Irrigation Department in this connection in a fortnight -- on May 12, May 3, and April 30. Haryana, as per reports, supplies a total of 610 million gallons of water a day to Delhi through two canals -- CLC and DSB -- and the Yamuna.

"We are taking all measures necessary to meet the demand but the situation is worsening by the day due to the intense heat and Haryana releasing less water in the river," another official told PTI on condition of anonymity.

No heatwave in Delhi for next four days

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said that the heatwave prevailing in the national capital and other north Indian states will abate from May 17 for the next four days.

"Yesterday`s heatwave was the most severe. The peak is over. Today we are having a trend of 3 to 4 degrees fall over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh," IMD Senior Scientist RK Jenamani told ANI.

"In Delhi, Safdarjung may record a max temperature of 43 degrees Celsius. As the western disturbance further comes, the heatwave will be abated by tomorrow over a large area," he added.