DJB warns of water crisis on Nangal channel closure

NEW DELHI:  The closure of Nangal Hydel Channel for one month for repair will affect a quarter of water supply to the national capital in summer, which could lead to an unprecedented water crisis and even law and order situation, Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Raghav Chadha said on Thursday.  

Chadha said a letter has been written to the Union government, Haryana government and BBMB (Bhakra Beas management board) urging them to postpone the repair of the channel and undertake it some other time. As per DJB, the closure of Nangal hydel channel for one month for repair work is expected to affect a quarter of water supply of Delhi.

“The blind closure of the channel will affect supply of 232 MGD (million gallon per day) of water supply from the Beas river to Delhi for one month in March-April. It is 25 per cent of water supply in Delhi and could lead to an unprecedented water crisis and even law and order situation,” he said.

Chadha said the Delhi government is in constant touch with the Centre over the issue and hoped that the impending crisis will be averted. Water flows from Bhakra dam which is in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh downstream Nangal dam where it is controlled and released into the Nangal hydel channel.

This channel later became Bhakra main line after Ganguwal and Kotla power plants. The Bhakra main line mostly supplies irrigation water to the state of Haryana and the power generated at Bhakra Dam is distributed among partner states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi.