DJB eyes groundwater to bridge supply gap before summer

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) will tap into the city’s groundwater supply to pump in around 100 million gallons per day (MGD) water into its supply network.

While the capital needs around 1,100 MGD of water during the summer, at present DJB supplies around 900 MGD.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, also the DJB chairperson, said the water utility would be taking up at least four projects in areas where the aquifers are close to the ground. The projects would be completed by March 2019, before the summer sets in, officials said.

Yamuna Flood Plain

The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified six locations on the Yamuna flood plain between Wazirabad and Okhla, which has potential of 85 MGD of water. The Delhi Jal Board is already extracting some water from one or two of the locations. However, most of the water is untapped.

Dwarka

A consultant appointed by the DJB has identified fresh water pockets in Dwarka. These fresh pockets would now be developed to augment supply by 22.5 MLD .

Ranney Wells and Bore Wells

Kejriwal has already approved a bio-filtration technique that uses bacteria to bring down ammonia levels in groundwater. It would be used to restart at least seven Ranney wells and around 125 bore wells in Delhi.

Once these non-functional ranney wells are made functional, an additional 63 MLD of water would be available.

More Bore Wells

DJB officials and local MLAs in north and east Delhi have been asked to identify areas where water table is high. New bores would be dug at these places.

These additional bores will not only make these areas self-sufficient in water but can also be then supplied to other areas.

A NITI Aayog report published in 2018 had warned that at least 21 cities including Delhi could run out of ground water by 2020. A DJB official however said that the water would be tapped only in those areas which have been identified by the CGWB as ground water rich zones.

“This is a good approach provided the source sustainability is scientifically evaluated before the scheme is made operational,” said Shashank Shekhar a professor of geology from Delhi University.

The DJB is also planning to revive dead water bodies and create new lakes to recharge the ground water table across Delhi.

First Published: Jan 03, 2019 15:14 IST