Future demand in focus, Delhi govt plans mega survey to frame water usage policy

Thus, officials said, detailed planning and action are required to control groundwater extraction and curb uncontrolled water withdrawal through borewells.

They added that the matter was also discussed in a recently held meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“WAPCOS is being nominated by the DJB to conduct a comprehensive borewell survey. Given the scale and complexity of the task, WAPCOS is developing a sample survey plan and has requested a 20-month timeframe for the survey,” said officials.

“As per the Cabinet decision, the Delhi government’s Environment department has started work on framing a new borewell policy in which the provision of self-declaration by borewell holders can be considered so that the number of borewells can be determined,” said officials.

Currently, DJB operates 10 water treatment plants (WTPs), which produce 990-1,000 MGD of water, and  135 MGD is fetched through tubewells.

According to the Delhi government’s recent Statistical Handbook, Delhi has 21,477 tubewells for irrigation purposes. Though official data show there are around 5,000 borewells, experts state the actual number is much higher.

Officials said that the BJP government is also likely to start discussions with Haryana on the old water-sharing agreement.

With no major sources of water, Delhi heavily depends on the Yamuna and groundwater extraction to meet its water requirements.

As per the Central Ground Water Board’s report of 2024, Delhi extracted more water than it recharged. Out of 34 assessment units (tehsils), 14 units have been categorised as ‘over-exploited’, 13 as ‘critical’, two as ‘semi-critical’, and five as ‘safe’.

Officials further said that the DJB is also taking necessary steps to reduce the Non-Water Revenue (NWR) in Delhi.