Delhi Government is aiming for the production of about 1000 MGD of potable water during the summer of 2022 by optimising all its resources
All Delhi Jal Board tankers will be made GPS enabled to increase the transparency of the system
The Delhi Government plans to combat the summer by improving the city’s water distribution system
Adequate number of water tankers are available to tackle water scarcity in Delhi in the peak summer season- Satyendar Jain
New Delhi:
The Delhi Jal Board has come up with a ‘Summer Action Plan 2022′ to tackle the problem of drinking water availability during the summer season. The Kejriwal Government is fully prepared to provide adequate water supplies in all areas and colonies of the city to serve the residents better in the scorching summer season when water demand peaks. Water Minister and Delhi Jal Board Chairman, Shri Satyendar Jain held a meeting to discuss the Government’s summer action plan. He said, “The system has been made efficient and robust so that people do not have to suffer due to water scarcity in summer. Strengthening of water treatment plants, repair, and extension of water supply pipelines, availability of water tankers, and E-Piaos are taken into account to ensure that water supplies in all areas of Delhi are unimpeded during the April-to-July peak summer season.”
Production target increased to 1000 MGD
In order to meet the water requirements of the city residents, especially considering the rising heat in the city this year, the Delhi government is targeting the production of about 1000 MGD of potable water during the summer of 2022 by optimising all the resources. Earlier, there used to be 935 MGD of potable water produced during the summer. This means that Delhi will have an extra 65 MGD of water supply this year.
Continuous monitoring of water influx from Haryana
Water treatment plants and associated pumping installations are being renovated keeping the issue of persistent ammonia release from Haryana. Continuous monitoring will be done to prevent the closure of water treatment plants due to managing high levels of ammonia in the water. In fact, the level of ammonia in the water coming from Haryana increases many times, which reduces the capacity of Delhi’s plant and deepens the water crisis in many areas. For this, a new monitoring process has been prepared for this so that the crisis can be managed in an efficient way.
The Water Minister is personally monitoring the entire situation in order to ensure that public service is up to the mark. He has also reviewed the stock position of consumables and other preparations to tackle the upcoming summer efficiently.
Piped Water Supply Network in Unauthorized/Regularised Colonies and JJ Clusters
Piped water supply networks, which are the lifeline of water supplies in Delhi, are being provided in unauthorized/regularized colonies in a phased manner to improve potable water supply. By December 2021, piped water supply had been extended to 1642 colonies. Piped water supply networks have been laid down in 65 colonies. In the other 38 colonies, work is in progress to lay piped water supply networks.
Further, all the JJ clusters have the facility of drinking water through public water hydrants and water tankers. Work for piped water supply networks with individual water connections in JJ clusters will be taken up in a phased manner. Water tankers will be provided in these areas if there is any scarcity of water.
To minimize physical losses and contamination of water, old water pipelines have been replaced, leakages have been repaired, and new water pipelines have been laid for the water distribution network. Preventive maintenance work and rational distribution of water would result in an improved supply of water in colonies/areas during the summer season.
Tankers will now be monitored using GPS
Tankers equipped with GPS are now being used by Delhi Jal Board in the capital to ensure adequate real-time monitoring including aspects like the route and timing of a given tanker. The move to make tankers GPS enabled will bring in more transparency and improve service quality. The government has put an efficient mechanism in place which monitors the movement of Stainless Steel Tankers (SS Tankers) fitted with GPS systems. The monitoring system can also help in providing additional information such as exceptional trips, trip diversions, daily and monthly distance reports, daily performance reports, logical and daily missed trip reports, late entry and vehicle history etc.
The Delhi Government has identified 10,141 fixed supply points for the delivery of water through water tankers for their efficient deployment. Day-to-day locations of daily supply points could be much higher depending on requirements, and the schedule would be made available on the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) website. It makes the tanker delivery service more transparent and ensures efficient delivery of potable water at the designated points.
The Delhi Government has planned to deploy a total of 1198 water tankers during the April to July summer peak season. These will include 407 contracted stainless steel water tankers, 541 hired water tankers, and 250 departmental water tankers. Depending on the requirements during peak summers in 2022, daily trips of the deployed water tankers will be optimized to supplement drinking water demand in both water-deficient areas and in areas that do not have piped water supply networks. Tanker filling capacity at each filling point location has also been optimized. There will be 185 tankers filling hydrants in operation for improved efficiency in the deployment of water tankers.
Information pertaining to the timing of water supply will be made available on the website
Maintenance of underground reservoirs and various equipment for the distribution of potable water will be completed soon. It shall also be ensured that all the pumps of the Booster Pumping Stations are in working condition. Old water pipelines have been replaced. New water pipelines are being laid to augment the network of water distribution. This will improve the water supply. Area wise timings for water supply will be made available on the website of Delhi Jal Board.
Consumers can check and pay for their water bills online
Water bills can now be checked online and people can pay instantly through payment gateways on the Delhi Jal Board Portal. Meter readers have launched an Android-based mobile tablet for online spot reading, water meter image capturing, and bill generation. In addition to the online revenue management system, DJB has launched a mobile app (m-Seva), through which consumers will be able to generate their own water bill and then proceed to pay it through the mobile app.
Water Emergency Center to come to the rescue
Water Emergency Control Rooms at various places in Delhi are working on a daily basis for the redressal of grievances. These Emergency Control Rooms have been continuously strengthened with adequate staff, communication facilities, and better equipment for grievance redressal and monitoring. Senior officers will also conduct surprise inspections of water emergencies from time to time. Delhi Jal Board has 9 plant laboratories to monitor water quality and potable water production round the clock at Water Treatment Plants (WTPs). There are two such laboratories at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Haiderpur, and one each at Nangloi, Bawana and Okhla WTPs. Apart from this, a list of sensitive and susceptible areas in terms of water supply has also been prepared. Lists have been made to deal with issues like water scarcity, dirty water, and sewer flow.
The Central Control Room at DJB Headquarters carries out online monitoring of the movement of water tankers. Residents can file complaints with the Customer Care Center at the Toll-Free Number 1916, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.