The Hindu : New Delhi News : Water remains a mirage for Sonia Vihar plant

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Water remains a mirage for Sonia Vihar plant

Staff Reporter

Rectifying Tehri dam problem will take at least six months

NEW DELHI: The Capital's residents may have to wait for at least another six months for water from the "ambitious" Rs. 880-crore Sonia Vihar water treatment plant as the Uttaranchal Government has reportedly expressed its inability to release water from the Tehri dam due to some "technical problems".

The Delhi Jal Board's Chief Operating Officer, Rakesh Mohan, who recently visited Uttaranchal seeking water from the dam for the Sonia Vihar plant, met the Board members of the water utility on Monday where he reportedly stated that as there was some problem in one of the tunnel of Tehri dam on which the work was on, it would take at least six to eight months before water was released for the plant.

The DJB CEO also said that neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has also refused to give additional water from the Upper Ganga canal in Muradnagar. Significantly, addressing presspersons at Muzaffarnagar on Monday, the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam chairperson and Samajwadi Party MP, Anuradha Choudhary, denied have committed to give additional water to Delhi for running the Sonia Vihar plant. With this, all hopes of plant becoming operational this summer have completely died.

It is also learnt that the Uttaranchal Government has also not committed any water for the plant stating that it was only up to the Uttar Pradesh Government to release water from the Upper Ganga canal. The DJB has been told that even if Uttaranchal releases extra water, it would be the Uttar Pradesh Government that would decide on releasing water. Interestingly, the DJB officials have been saying that there was no need for any agreement with the Uttaranchal Government for release of water, still Mr. Mohan visited the Himalayan State with the water utility's plea.

Meanwhile, the water level at the Wazirabad pond declined further on Tuesday to touch 671.9 feet against Monday's 672 feet. This was despite the closure of all the barrage gates. Though the Haryana Irrigation Department has also released 100 cusecs of water on April 24, but the water level is yet to increase. The decline was mainly due to excessive pumping of raw water from canals that contributes to water levels at barrage. Significantly, Delhi will stop getting water from the Wazirabad pond once the level touches 271 feet.

For its part, the DJB on Tuesday presented its "Summer Action Plan 2005" claiming that it has done its homework well to ensure that there was no water crisis in the Capital this summer season. Interestingly, the summer plan was announced at a time when the mercury levels are already up and many areas of the Capital, including large parts of East, North and North East Delhi, are facing shortage of supply.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi

News Update

Stories in this Section