The Delhi Jal Board has urged residents to conserve water and assured that water tankers will be available upon request.
Several areas in the national capital are experiencing water shortages due to dangerously high levels of ammonia (NH3) in the Yamuna river at the Wazirabad pond, the statement by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The water department stated that ammonia concentrations above 5.0 ppm have led to a 25-50 percent reduction in water production at the Wazirabad water treatment plant.
Supply in several areas of the city will be limited due to low water pressure. Areas affected by the shortage are Majnu Ka Tila, ISBT, GPO, NDMC area, ITO, Hans Bhawan, LNJP Hospital, Defence Colony, CGO Complex, Rajghat, WHO, IP Emergency, Ramleela Ground, Delhi Gate, parts of Cantonment areas, and more.
The DJB has urged residents to conserve water and assured that water tankers will be available upon request.Ammonia contamination remains a recurring issue in the Yamuna, often impacting water supply in the national capital.
Delhi Jal Board’s vice-president Vinay Mishra had raised concerns about the Yamuna’s water quality in October as well, when ammonia content had surged to 0.9 parts per million (ppm) – well above the safe threshold for effective treatment. “The Haryana government has become hostile, disregarding the wellbeing of Delhi’s people,” Mishra told, alleging that industrial waste being dumped into the river by the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana was the cause of the pollution.
BJP’s Delhi unit spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor hit back stating that the AAP government had failed to ensure that proper water supply was maintained. “It is regrettable that the Delhi government has failed to ensure proper water supply for the past several months despite a good monsoon and, when the festival season is here, water shortages and cuts are increasing,” he stated.