Severe Water Crisis In Delhi – Burning Issues – Free PDF Download

What’s happening?

• Delhi has been facing a severe water shortage this summer, with water levels depleting in the Yamuna.
• The latest notice issued by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) warning the public of water shortages came on June 9.
• It said that the DJB had “done rationalization” of water in Delhi and that water will be available at low pressure from June 10 onwards, till sufficient water is available.

Why is there a shortage?

• The DJB relies on the Yamuna for roughly 40% of the water it supplies. Delhi’s share of Yamuna water comes from Haryana, which lies upstream.
• With the river’s water level dwindling this year, it has been difficult for water treatment plants in Delhi to draw raw water, and meet the demand.

• The DJB has attributed the shortage to receiving inadequate quantities from Haryana.
• In its notice on June 9, the DJB said that there has been “less receipt” of raw water in the Delhi Sub-Branch (DSB) and Carrier Lined Channel (CLC), and
• That water would be available at low pressure till the “sufficient water is released by Haryana in DSB, CLC and River Yamuna”.

• The CLC and DSB carry water from Munak in Haryana to Delhi.
• From the end of April onwards, the DJB has written to the Haryana Irrigation Department multiple times requesting 150 cusecs of additional water to meet the demand in Delhi.
• In its letters, the DJB had also noted that the river has been running dry.

What happened to water level in Yamuna?

• With northwest India having recorded an unduly warm summer and a deficit in rainfall over the past few months,
• The parts of the river bed of the Yamuna are visible as it runs through Delhi.
• The deficit in rainfall over northwest India from March to May this year is 63%, and northwest India also recorded its hottest March and April in 122 years.
• The pond at Wazirabad, from where two of Delhi’s WTPs draw water, has witnessed depleting levels.
• Since some river water from other points was also diverted to Wazirabad, water production was hit at seven out of nine WTPs in Delhi last week.

So what govt is doing to deal with the crisis?

• To meet the demand, the DJB has been drawing more groundwater from tubewells.
• The DJB has plans to set up RO plants at six locations in the city to boost drinking water availability.
• Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said earlier this month that the government is working on recharging groundwater to increase the production capacity in the city.

• Last week, Kejriwal as well as DJB Vice Chairman Saurabh Bharadwaj had appealed to the Haryana government to release more water.
• Officials in Haryana have maintained that the water that is due to Delhi is being released.
• The allocation of river water is based on an MoU signed in 1994 among Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Q) The only State which has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to all the houses is?

1. Uttarakhand
2. Karnataka
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Arunachal Pradesh

Latest Burning Issues | Free PDF

Sharing is caring!