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

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

Since October 23, the government housing in East Kidwai Nagar has been reeling under intermittent water shortages. The residents were alerted about disruption of water supply for five hours on October 23. By October 25, the limited supply hours were extended by another hour.

“There are three types of water that is sent to our houses. There is a tank for bathing water, one for toilet water, and another one for drinking water. The toilet water is being supplied, but the bathing and the drinking water only get supplied for a few hours,” shared a government employee from the Income Tax Department. “It’s not much of an issue for me because the affected supply time is when I’m at the office. But for others at home, it’s becoming problematic. The maintenance department says it may take a month to resolve.”

Residents on floors higher, however, report that even the toilet water supply is inconsistent.

At the Pandara Road government flats, water is rationed for three hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. “Water is being supplied between 6 and 9 in the morning and from 6:30 to 9 every night. On the second and third floors, supply is even less frequent, and the water pressure is extremely low,” explained Rajender, who runs a laundry store inside the government complex. “It’s never been like this before.”

Similar disruptions have been reported from the Type 3 President Estate Quarters near Gole Market. “The water we’re getting is extremely dirty and the hours of supply are decreasing. We’ve resorted to using mineral water for washing our hair and face, and storing water for other purposes,” a resident said.

The Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant, built in 2004, serves nearly 3.5 million residents, processing water from both the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. With rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna, the raw water supply to the plant has been affected, causing widespread water shortages across NDMC zones. NDMC, which relies on 125 MLD (million litres per day) from the Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Sonia Vihar water treatment plants, has been struggling to maintain consistent supply.

To alleviate the crisis, the NDMC has deployed three tankers, each with a 9,000-litre capacity to supply water to VIP areas. “A meeting with the Jal Board was held today in which we have asked to give additional water to cater to the diplomatic areas, but they did not agree to it. We have 20 more tankers with a 5,000-litre capacity each, but those are designated for jhuggi jhopdi areas without water connections. We’re trying to source two to three more tankers and additional manpower for VIP zones since it’s the festive season and we want to avoid issues with water unavailability at this time of year,” an NDMC official said.

“We’ve also established a helpline and will ensure 24-hour water availability through it within the next two days,” the official added.