Ammonia levels spike in Yamuna, water supply hit

Several parts of north and central Delhi are reeling under a shortage of water along with low-pressure supply as treatment operations in the Capital remain affected due to the high pollution load in the raw water of Yamuna, according to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

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DJB officials said the level of pollutants in the raw water spiked further on Wednesday and the ammonia levels rose from 3 parts per million (ppm) on Monday to 5ppm by 7pm on by Wednesday.

In an advisory issued earlier, DJB had warned of supplies being impacted until the situation improved. HT reached out to the Delhi government which did not respond to queries seeking comments.

"The Wazirabad water treatment plant has been partially shut down and is currently operating at 50% of its capacity. We are trying to divert more raw water from other sources for dilution to maintain the operations at the Chandrawal plant," a DJB official said, asking not to be named.

To be sure, DJB faces the problem of high ammonia levels in Yamuna water throughout the year, but it is relatively acute between January and March.