The Hindu : New Delhi News : Water crisis unlikely, says Jal Board

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Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Water crisis unlikely, says Jal Board

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Confident of adequate water during Navratri

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh has closed down the canal carrying raw water to Delhi for maintenance work and the water-level at Wazirabad is yet to reach the stipulated height, but the Delhi Jal Board says there is no reason to worry.

The water utility is confident that the Capital is unlikely to face a water crisis during the ongoing festive season.

The current level of water at Wazirabad is 672.9 feet as against the required 674.5 feet and the Ganga Canal carrying water for the Sonia Vihar and Bagirathi water treatment plants has been closed down for annual maintenance work.

“It is true that the water level of the Yamuna is below the optimum level, but it is slowly rising. We are confident that it will rise further and there will be no water crisis,” said a senior Jal Board official.

“As for not getting water from Uttar Pradesh, we have adequate quantity of water in the online storage. We will use this water to meet the city’s requirement till we start getting raw water from Uttar Pradesh again. The production of water in the city currently is optimum despite the closing down of the canal and the low level of water at Wazirabad.”

A dip in the production of water at the Bagirathi and Sonia Vihar water treatment plants can result in water scarcity in East Delhi and South Delhi. But the Jal Board says it will tide over the crisis by lifting more water from the Yamuna from the share allocated to Uttar Pradesh.

“In 2006 a decision was taken that allows Delhi to lift water from Uttar Pradesh’s share as and when the Ganga Canal is shut down for maintenance. This apart, we have enough water in the eight online storages to draw water from,” said a senior official.

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