Taps run dry as ammonia spike, canal repair cripple water plants

The Capital's water crisis worsened on Thursday with six of its nine major water treatment plants were rendered either nonfunctional or operating at a fraction of their capacity.

- Paras Singh

The failure has left swathes of Delhi particularly in the city’s north, northwest, west, southwest and central regions with dry taps and threatens shortages that could extend into early February.

The crisis stems from two concurrent issues: dangerously high levels of ammonia in the Yamuna have forced two critical plants to halt operations, while simultaneous repair work on the Munak Canal in Haryana has drastically reduced the raw water supply to four other facilities. Only three plants fed by the Upper Ganga Canal from Uttar Pradesh currently remain fully operational.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Thursday confirmed the complete shutdown of the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) the city's largest facility which supplies 110 million gallons per day (MGD) to central, north, south, and New Delhi areas, including the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) zone, Old Delhi, and areas such as Model Town and Defence Colony. The Chandrawal plant was also severely impacted by the polluted river water.