The Hindu : New Delhi News : Water crisis looms over Capital

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Wednesday, Jul 11, 2007
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New Delhi

Water crisis looms over Capital

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Haryana to repair Yamuna Canal; tells Delhi to make alternative arrangement

Proposal to close the canal for 15 days after monsoon
Canal that carries water for Delhi has been heavily silted

NEW DELHI: The Haryana Irrigation Department has written to the Delhi Jal Board to make alternative arrangements for securing raw water for the Haiderpur and Nangloi treatment plants after the current rainy season to allow execution of repair and de-silting work of the Western Yamuna Canal.

The city stands to face a severe water crisis if the Jal Board fails to procure water from elsewhere while the repair and de-silting work is undertaken.

The Western Yamuna Canal that carries water for Delhi has been heavily silted and damaged at several places. “The canal has been carrying water without a day’s break for the past 35 years. There have been several breaches in the canal, the most recent being the one that occurred this past June. It is high time the de-silting and repair work is carried out,” said M. K. Lamba, Superintending Engineer HID.

The HID has communicated that it proposes to close the canal for 15 days after the rainy season and that the Jal Board should either create storage facility at Bawana or make provision to link the Wazirabad treatment plant to the ones that receive water from the canal.

“There is not a single canal in this country barring the Western Yamuna Canal that has been carrying water without a single break. Because of continuous use, the canal is heavily silted, its lining has been damaged, there is berm formation on the sides, and due to the silt deposits the width and the depth of the canal has decreased,” said Mr. Lamba.

Critical of the Jal Board’s neglect towards the canal’s upkeep, he said: “The canal can carry up to 1,729 cusecs of water, but carries only 1,150 cusecs because its carrying capacity has come down. Periodic repairs are carried out wherever and whenever possible, but the condition of the canal as it stands today calls for an immediate attention.”

The HID proposes to use de-silting machines to clean the canal and carry out repair works downstream of Khurdu near Panipat.

“The breach at Bawana was controlled with great difficulty, we do not want to face the same situation again, which is why we have done extensive work to identify the areas that need work,” said Mr. Lamba, adding: “In Bawana the concrete lining of the canal has been removed and has been used by the residents of slum clusters as flooring for their dwellings. We have already notified the Jal Board and filed a complaint with the police.”

Pointing out that the Jal Board is always quick to blame Haryana for Delhi’s water woes, the HID official said: “We have given them ample time to make arrangements for getting hold of raw water; they should not blame us for not supplying water once the canal is shut.”

The HID has also alleged that Delhi has not been making payment for the extra water that is being supplied for the Wazirbad plant and has defaulted on the maintain money as well.

“The Jal Board owes us Rs. 20 crore, the maintenance cost for the past three years. We have had several rounds of meetings, but in spite of assurances, the dues continue to remain outstanding,” Mr. Lamba said.

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