Water supply was disrupted across several parts of Delhi on Wednesday after high ammonia levels were detected in the Yamuna river at the Wazirabad pond, officials from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said. The pollution spike affected operations at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants, leading to a reduction in water production by 25% to 50%.
The DJB said residents may experience low water pressure until the situation improves. Water tankers will be provided on demand, and the public has been advised to use water judiciously during this period.
Water Treatment Plants Operating at Reduced Capacity
Officials said both the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants draw raw water directly from the Yamuna through the Wazirabad pond and supply treated water to north, central and south Delhi. Due to the high pollutant levels, the plants were forced to operate at curtailed capacity.
A senior DJB official said ammonia levels in raw water at Wazirabad were recorded at over 3 parts per million (ppm) on Wednesday morning, which is three times higher than the maximum treatable limit of 1 ppm. While DJB can safely treat ammonia levels up to 0.9 ppm, higher levels require excessive use of chlorine, which can result in the formation of toxic chloramine compounds. As a result, plant operations were scaled down to ensure safety.
To dilute the polluted Yamuna water, raw water is being diverted from the Munak canal to Wazirabad. However, this diversion has also caused a shortage of water supply in areas dependent on canal-fed treatment plants.
Large Residential Areas Face Low Pressure or No Supply
Areas likely to be affected under the Wazirabad plant include Defence Colony, Majnu Ka Tila, ISBT, NDMC areas, ITO, LNJP Hospital, CGO complex, Rajghat, Punjabi Bagh, Azadpur, Shalimar Bagh, Wazirpur, Lawrence Road, Model Town and several parts of north and central Delhi. Parts of south Delhi, including Moolchand, South Extension, Greater Kailash and cantonment areas, are also expected to face disruption.
Areas under the Chandrawal water treatment plant include NDMC zones, Karol Bagh, Jhandewalan, Hindu Rao, Civil Lines, Patel Nagar, Rajendra Nagar and Shadipur.
Residents reported low pressure and complete disruption in some areas. Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Association, said water supply had dropped sharply in many neighbourhoods and had completely stopped in some places. He added that while storage tanks provided temporary relief, residents were relying on water cans for drinking purposes.
Bhasin also said the issue of recurring ammonia spikes had persisted for years despite changes in government, and long-pending solutions such as upgrading treatment plants and increasing buffer storage capacity had not been implemented.
The problem of high ammonia levels in the Yamuna has been a long-standing dispute between Delhi and Haryana. DJB has repeatedly blamed industrial pollution from the Panipat dye drain and alleged intermixing of industrial waste in Sonepat. Haryana, however, has denied the presence of any leaking pollution sources in its industrial areas.