Water supply ‘partially restored’ in Delhi

Expressing disappointment, slum dweller Raju said people are facing water crisis as there is no fixed time of arrival of water tankers.

The situation turned tense with the protesters damaging the gates and controls of the canal, forcing water treatment plants to shut down, thereby leading the Delhi government to send an SOS to the Centre and the Supreme Court.

“Delhi is now being provided 700 cusecs of water through Khubru head”.

The minister led a team to the Munak canal to fastrack the fix work of the canal and restore the water supply.

Water Minister Kapil Mishra reviewed the contingency plan for water management in West, North, North-west, Outer and Central Delhi and said tankers will deliver water at 663 points to partially meet the shortage of 480 million gallons per day (MGD).

He said that more than 70 water tankers from these areas had been moved to the western part of the city, where partial supplies would be “hopefully” restored by this evening.

It is not clear how many households are still without water.

When protesters from the underprivileged Jat community breached the canal wall on Saturday, they effectively cut off about two-thirds of New Delhi’s water. The Jats, traditionally a farming community within India’s ancient system of caste hierarchy, were demanding quotas in government jobs and educational institutions.

Deaths Clashes between the protesters and government forces left 12 people dead before Jat leaders agreed on Monday to end the demonstrations while negotiating with officials, and the army took control of the canal.

However, the water situation in the city showed signs of improvement on Tuesday as 120 MGD of water was received from Haryana and treatment plants commenced operations following the Jat quota agitation which had hit the supply mechanism.

“We already spend a lot of hours trying to get water”, said Indrapal, a security worker who gave only his first name.

Prior warnings meant that people had managed to save water, and tankers had been despatched to affected areas of the city, but that this has not been enough to make up for the shortfall.

However, the water supply to the capital was far from adequate, cautioned the minister.

According to Delhi Jal Board (DJB), three water treatment plants at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla are operating partially after a drop in the ammonia level in the Wazirabad pond.

Sixteen million people live in Delhi, and around three-fifths of the city’s water is supplied by the Munak canal, which runs through Haryana.