Water crisis to continue as ammonia still present

New Delhi: Water supply may remain affected for a couple of days more as high levels of ammonia in raw water continue to affect the processing capabilities of the three water treatment plants of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The supplies are affected in Central, North and northwest Delhi, the NDMC areas and parts of West and South Delhi due to leakage in the carrier lined channel (CLC) that brings water from Haryana to Delhi. The DJB stopped water supply on Sunday after an excessive rise in ammonia levels at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants (WTPs).

According to the DJB, the water supply will not be able to return to normalcy until ammonia levels at the three WTPs fall to permissible limits. The three plants account for nearly 260 MGD (million gallons of water per day).

Water tankers will be available on demand at phone number -— 1916, a DJB statement said. Water supplies have resumed in a few localities at low pressure, a DJB official said. The official added that the situation will improve further on Wednesday.

“The ammonia content increased to 3.8 parts per million (ppm) in the Yamuna river. Such a rise was excessive and therefore the raw water could not be treated at the plants — which cannot handle beyond 1-2 ppm,” the official said. The permissible limit of ammonia in water fit to drink is 0.5 ppm.

Some of the affected areas are: Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid, Civil Lines, Subshah Park, Mukherjee Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Adrash Nagar, Model Town Jahangir Puri, Wazirpur Industrial area, Punjabi Bagh, Gulabi Bagh, Hindu Rao, Jhandewalan, Motia Khan, Pahar Ganj, Karol Bagh, Old Rajinder Nagar and Naya Bazar, East & West Patel Nagar, Malka Ganj and their adjoining areas, EPDP, Sriniwaspuri, Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji i/c DDA Flats Okhla Industrial Area, Govindpuri, and adjoining areas, Tekhand, Tughlkabad, Sangam Vihar, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I and adjoining areas.