Restoration of full water supply may take a week

Asserting that the partial supply of water will be restored in most of the affected parts on the national capital by Wednesday, Delhi water minister Kapil Mishra on Tuesday said that restoration of full water supply in the national capital may take a week.

“Water supply in Delhi can be restored fully only after damaged Munak canal is repaired completely. The repairing of the canal is going on and it may take a week. A team of Delhi Jal Board is already at the site of damaged canal,” Mr Mishra told a news agency.

He, however, said that partial piped water supply will start in most of the affected areas of the national capital from Wednesday.

“We have received 120 MGD water from Haryana so from tomorrow morning most of the areas in Delhi will get piped water supply. This supply will be limited as they will only receive 25 percent of the water they get in normal days,” Mr Mishra said.

As per existing agreements, Haryana supplies 580 MGD (1,100 cusecs) of water to Delhi from the Munak canal and other sources. The Munak canal in Haryana, which supplies water to many parts of Delhi, had to be shut down after it was vandalised by a section of demonstrators demanding reservations in government jobs and educational institutions for the Jat community in the state.

The minister led a team to the Munak canal to fastrack the repair work of the canal and restore the water supply. “DJB teams have succeeded in starting the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla to 100 per cent capacity, thus servicing parts of North, South and Central Delhi. This has reduced the water burden in these areas, and 70 tankers have been diverted to West Delhi and NW Delhi,” a Delhi government statement said.

The water supply will be restored partially in parts of north, central and old Delhi as Chandrawal and Wazirabad plants have started working.

“Chandrawal plant is fully functional while Wazirabad and Okhla plants were operating at 90 percent and 50 percent capacities respectively. Evening water supply to be restored in parts of north, central, old Delhi and NDMC,” Mr Mishra said, stressing the crisis was not yet over and advising the people to consume water carefully.

“Tankers will be diverted from the areas where we can provide piped supply to (the) areas like Dwarka and other parts of west Delhi. Bawana, Nangloi, Haiderpur plants are partially functional. Morning supply will be restored in areas like Rohini, Paschim Vihar, west-Delhi,” he tweeted. People had to face hardship as taps ran dry in several areas of central Delhi.