In Delhi, AI-powered chatbot to address your water woes soon

According to Singh, DJB has tied up with IIT-Kanpur, which is currently working on several projects, including an AI chatbot.

On how the system will work, officials said that residents will be able to register complaints by phone, through the mobile app, or via the website. Once a complaint is registered, the area will be geo-marked on a map, alerting the relevant area engineers. Should a complaint remain unresolved, it will subsequently be auto-escalated to senior officers. “This will provide a platform for better connectivity between the complaints and the officials,” an official added.

Speaking on the initiative, Singh said, “Earlier, outdated systems slowed down our work. Today, we are introducing modern, transparent systems where people themselves can monitor services.”

To ensure real-time monitoring, approximately 1,221 tankers per month will be deployed during peak summer months. These will be geo-tagged through dashboards to eliminate misuse. Stressing that this was not a long-term fix, Singh said, “The tanker system is not a permanent solution. Our focus is to make it transparent and accountable while strengthening pipeline infrastructure.”

In parallel, water production of around 1,002 million gallons per day (MGD) will be maintained throughout summer, with all major Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) — including Chandrawal, Wazirabad, Haiderpur, Nangloi, Okhla, Dwarka, Bawana and Sonia Vihar — kept fully operational, officials said. “Delhi has limited water resources, but it is our responsibility to ensure that every person receives adequate supply,” the Minister added.

The plan comes days after pipeline damage at the Chandrawal WTP left tens of thousands of residents facing water supply disruptions across parts of Central and South Delhi since March 22. Further, officials added that discussions are underway with Haryana to procure an additional 51 cusecs of water, while work has also been initiated on Wazirabad desilting to enhance pondage capacity by two to three days.

Looking at broader structural reforms, officials said the action plan targets the replacement and upgradation of 80-year-old water and sewer pipelines, as well as the modernisation and performance stabilisation of the Chandrawal WTP. Together, these measures are expected to resolve water management issues across at least ten assembly constituencies in the Capital, officials said.

Outlining an even longer-term vision, Singh pointed to a 50-year water master plan currently in preparation. “We are planning for the next 50 years. A water master plan is being prepared. It is estimated that in the next few years, 20 lakh flats are going to be added in Delhi; we are taking this into account while planning,” he said. Moreover, Singh added that the target is to scale treatment capacity up to 1,500 MGD, while also promoting decentralised Sewage Treatment Plants.