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Delhi Faces Water Crisis Amid Plant Shutdowns
23 Jan
Summary
- High ammonia levels in Yamuna forced two plants to stop.
- Munak Canal repairs reduced raw water to four treatment facilities.
- Critical plants shut down, leading to a severe water supply deficit.
Delhi is experiencing a significant water crisis due to a confluence of two major issues impacting its water treatment facilities. Dangerously high ammonia levels in the Yamuna River have forced the closure of critical plants, including the large Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant which supplies 110 million gallons per day.
Compounding the problem, essential repair work on the Munak Canal in Haryana has halved the raw water supply to four other treatment plants: Haiderpur, Dwarka, Bawana, and Nangloi. This canal maintenance is expected to continue until February 4, 2026.
The combined effect of these disruptions has led to a severe deficit in the city's normal supply of approximately 1000 million gallons per day. Residents in north, northwest, west, southwest, and central Delhi are already facing dry taps and extremely low water pressure, with higher-elevation areas receiving no water.
The standard mitigation strategy of diluting ammonia-laden water with cleaner canal water has failed because the canal itself is undergoing repairs. A proposed ammonia treatment plant, announced in 2022-23, has not yet materialized, leaving the city vulnerable to such crises.
