High ammonia content in Yamuna; DJB says parts of Delhi to face water shortage till Nov 1

New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board on Sunday announced water shortage till November 1 in several parts of the national capital due to high ammonia content in the Yamuna river.

Several parts of east, northeast and south Delhi and areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council will be affected, it said.

“The raw water source of Delhi’s 110 MGD (million gallons per day) Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and 140 MGD Sonia Vihar WTP is the Upper Ganga Canal, Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Due to scheduled annual maintenance across the Upper Ganga Canal by the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department from October 12 to 31, the canal was closed from Haridwar on October 12 midnight,” the Jal Board said.

“During this closure period, the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department and the UP Jal Nigam carry out repair and maintenance. Subsequently, Ganga water supply to these WTPs has been stopped,” it added.

The WTPs are now dependent on the Yamuna as an alternative source of raw water till October 31. But due to high ammonia content — above 1.5 ppm (parts per million) — in the raw water, it is difficult to treat the Yamuna’s raw water, the Delhi Jal Board said.

“Therefore, production at Bhagirathi and Sonia Vihar has been curtailed up to 30 per cent. Further, the production would depend entirely upon the quality of raw water at the Yamuna and production from these plants shall vary accordingly,” it added.

The Jal Board has advised Delhi residents to store adequate quantities of water in advance, based on their requirements, and use water judiciously.

Water tankers will be available on demand from the Jal Board’s helpline or the central control room, it added.