Water Resources and Management in Delhi

Source-This post on Water Resources and Management in Delhi has been created based on the article “Heatwave, water shortage in the national capital: How does Delhi get its water?” published in “The Indian Express” on 7 June 2024.

UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-3– Issues and Challenges Pertaining to the Federal Structure devolution of Powers and Finances up to Local Levels and Challenges Therein.

Context-The Supreme Court has recently directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to resolve Delhi’s drinking water crisis.

What agreement governs Delhi’s water allocation from the Yamuna River?

1) According to a 1994 water-sharing agreement, Delhi is allocated 0.076 billion cubic meters of water from the Yamuna between March and June (roughly 435 MGD).

2) The annual allocation for Delhi is 0.724 BCM, regulated by the Upper Yamuna River Board.

3) In 1996, the Supreme Court directed that Delhi should continue to receive water from Haryana through the Yamuna to keep the Wazirabad and Hyderpur reservoirs full.

What is the water supply and distribution source for Delhi?

1) Delhi receives water from the Yamuna, Ravi-Beas, and Ganga rivers. The water from the Ganga, via the Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh, amounts to 470 cusecs.

2) The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) supplements its river-water supply with groundwater from tubewells and ranney wells (135 MGD). Further, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) draws water directly from the Yamuna River.

3) Channels like the Carrier Lined Channel (CLC) and the Delhi Subbranch (DSB) from Haryana supply water from the Yamuna and Ravi-Beas rivers, totaling roughly 565 MGD (million gallons per day).

What caused Delhi’s recent water shortage crisis?

1) Delhi faced a water shortage crisis due to the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) functioning below its capacity from May 12 to 14 and again from May 18 to June 1. During this period, the national capital faced extremely high temperatures, leading to a sharp increase in the demand for water.

2) The decreased water levels at the Wazirabad reservoir were caused by limited rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. This led to a shortage of water available for the WTP to extract.

3) There were losses in transit due to seepage and evaporation further impacted water availability.

Read more-Bengaluru Water Crisis

Question for practice

What agreement governs Delhi’s water allocation from the Yamuna River? What caused Delhi’s recent water shortage crisis?