No water supply in prime locations today: Water crisis in Lutyens’ Delhi amid Yamuna’s toxicity

Toxic foam accumulation successful the Yamuna has forced the shutdown of the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant, impacting potable h2o availability successful the areas managed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi Jal Board.

Since October 23, the authorities lodging successful East Kidwai Nagar has been reeling nether intermittent h2o shortages. The residents were alerted astir disruption of h2o proviso for 5 hours connected October 23. By October 25, the constricted proviso hours were extended by different hour.

“There are 3 types of h2o that is sent to our houses. There is simply a vessel for bathing water, 1 for toilet water, and different 1 for drinking water. The toilet h2o is being supplied, but the bathing and the drinking h2o lone get supplied for a fewer hours,” shared a authorities worker from the Income Tax Department. “It’s not overmuch of an contented for maine due to the fact that the affected proviso clip is erstwhile I’m astatine the office. But for others astatine home, it’s becoming problematic. The attraction section says it whitethorn instrumentality a period to resolve.”

Residents connected floors higher, however, study that adjacent the toilet h2o proviso is inconsistent.

At the Pandara Road authorities flats, h2o is rationed for 3 hours successful the greeting and 2 hours successful the evening. “Water is being supplied betwixt 6 and 9 successful the greeting and from 6:30 to 9 each night. On the 2nd and 3rd floors, proviso is adjacent little frequent, and the h2o unit is highly low,” explained Rajender, who runs a laundry store wrong the authorities complex. “It’s ne'er been similar this before.”

Similar disruptions person been reported from the Type 3 President Estate Quarters adjacent Gole Market. “The h2o we’re getting is highly soiled and the hours of proviso are decreasing. We’ve resorted to utilizing mineral h2o for washing our hairsbreadth and face, and storing h2o for different purposes,” a nonmigratory said.

The Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant, built successful 2004, serves astir 3.5 cardinal residents, processing h2o from some the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. With rising ammonia levels successful the Yamuna, the earthy h2o proviso to the works has been affected, causing wide h2o shortages crossed NDMC zones. NDMC, which relies connected 125 MLD (million litres per day) from the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Sonia Vihar h2o attraction plants, has been struggling to support accordant supply.

To alleviate the crisis, the NDMC has deployed 3 tankers, each with a 9,000-litre capableness to proviso h2o to VIP areas. “A gathering with the Jal Board was held contiguous successful which we person asked to springiness further h2o to cater to the diplomatic areas, but they did not hold to it. We person 20 much tankers with a 5,000-litre capableness each, but those are designated for jhuggi jhopdi areas without h2o connections. We’re trying to root 2 to 3 much tankers and further manpower for VIP zones since it’s the festive play and we privation to debar issues with h2o unavailability astatine this clip of year,” an NDMC authoritative said.

“We’ve besides established a helpline and volition guarantee 24-hour h2o availability done it wrong the adjacent 2 days,” the authoritative added.