Yamuna water levels drop below critical mark, causing up to 25% supply disruption in Delhi amid heat wave | Today’s news

A sharp drop in water levels in the Yamuna river has disrupted operations at Delhi’s two largest water treatment plants, prompting supply cuts of up to 25 percent in parts of north, central and west Delhi, even as the capital endures a punishing heat wave with temperatures showing no signs of abating, Hindustan Times reported.

The water level of the Yamuna has fallen below the critical mark, affecting treatment plants in Delhi

The Delhi Jal Board, the government agency responsible for the production and distribution of drinking water across the capital, confirmed to Hindustan Times that the falling raw water level in the Yamuna has directly disrupted operations at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants, two of the city’s largest and most critical facilities.

The Wazirabad Dam and its adjacent pond area serve as the primary detention zone for raw water pumped from the Jamuna River Canal. Pond water levels must be maintained at 674.5 feet above sea level for both treatment plants to operate at full capacity.

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A senior Delhi Jal Board official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Hindustan Times that the levels have now fallen well below that limit.

“Water levels in the Yamuna are around 669.8 feet. The water supply from Wazirabad is 25% lower, while the Chandrawala supply has reduced by around 10%,” an official told Hindustan Times.

The Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant supplies approximately 134 million gallons per day to parts of North and Central Delhi. Chandrawal produces around 98 million gallons per day and serves North, North West and Central Delhi.

The Delhi Jal Board considers emergency pumps and boats a deepening crisis

A second Delhi Jal Board official, who also declined to be named, told Hindustan Times that authorities were already looking into emergency measures to prevent more severe supply disruptions.

“If the water level continues to fall, water production will be severely affected. We will have to deploy specialized pumps along with boats to draw water from the pond area,” the official said.

In the immediate future, the city authorities are trying to divert raw water from the carrier-lined canal at Munak towards the Wazirabad facility to compensate for the shortfall in the river channel.

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Both officials confirmed to Hindustan Times that the Delhi government is actively negotiating with neighboring Haryana to ensure the release of more water from the upstream Hathnikund barrage, in an effort to prevent the situation from worsening further.

The supply cut affected thousands of households in central and west Delhi

For residents already enduring extreme summer heat, the effects on the ground were immediate and severe. Supply constraints have been most pronounced in central Delhi, which is at the far end of the distribution network and therefore the first to feel the impact of any reduction in production.

According to Hindustan Times, the worst affected areas include Patel Nagar J Block, West Patel Nagar, parts of Dwarka, Ambica Vihar society, Paschim Vihar, Ramesh Enclave and Sudarshan Park.

Tajender Pal, a resident of Patel Nagar, told Hindustan Times that the situation has become deeply difficult for the people of the locality as residents are struggling to get enough water for daily needs.

Ashok Kumar, a resident of Dwarka, described the extent of the problem in his area to Hindustan Times. “Golf View Condo in Sector 19B, home to more than 1,000 families, has been facing irregular supply for the past week,” he said.

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The absence of any preliminary communication from the authorities also contributes to the residents’ frustration. Ashok Bhasin, president of the North Delhi Residents’ Welfare Federation, an umbrella body representing various Residents’ Welfare Associations, told Hindustan Times that this time, unlike previous years, no advisory has been issued ordering households to store water before the supply cuts.

Delhi’s water demand gap widens every summer as supply dwindles

The crisis is developing against a structural background that is worsening year by year. Delhi’s total estimated water consumption is 1,250 million gallons per day against the Delhi Jal Board’s supply of 1,002 million gallons per day, a gap of nearly 250 million gallons per day under normal conditions.

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This gap widens substantially during the peak summer months of May to July, when household demand rises sharply at exactly the same time as the availability of raw water in the river system decreases. The capital draws most of its raw water from the neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

A political blame game has erupted over Delhi’s water woes

The water supply crisis has quickly become a flashpoint in Delhi’s political scene, with the Aam Aadmi Party and the ruling administration trading accusations of responsibility for the city’s long-standing deficiencies in water infrastructure.

Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal came to X to voice his criticism. “Who would have thought that one day the capital of the country would be in such a state?” published.

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Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma responded directly to the allegations, placing the blame squarely on the AAP’s decade-long tenure in power. “The truth is that in those 11 years, no real work has been done on water, sanitation and water storage, nothing compared to the hype they have created,” Verma said.