Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Saturday alerted the public of a possible water crisis as the ammonia levels in the Yamuna River rose affecting production at the Wazirabad water treatment plant. Water supply has been affected in several areas including Defence Colony, Greater Kailash, ITO, Rajghat, Lok Nayak hospital, areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council, parts of the Cantonment area, and South Delhi.
According to a bulletin issued by the Board, due to high ammonia levels of more than 5 parts per million (ppm), the water production at the key water treatment plant will be down by 25 to 50 per cent. It said that until improvement, the water in the affected areas will be supplied at low pressure.
The DJB’s water treatment plants can handle ammonia up to 1 part per million, and chlorination beyond this exceeds the plant’s capacity, according to a DJB official. The Wazirabad plant which has a capacity of 131 million gallons per day (MGD) receives water from the Carrier Lined Channel or the Munak Canal, and the Yamuna river stream. The raw water from the river channel carries industrial effluents (such as fertilisers, dyes, and plastics) and decomposed organic matter, which are sources of ammonia – the issue is exacerbated particularly in the winter season because of higher concentration of pollutants, as the river shrinks due to lack of rain upstream.
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