The Delhi government has identified about 7,900 km of water pipelines that are between 20 and 30 years old and plans to replace them over the next 2 to 3 years to ensure the supply of clean drinking water, Water Minister Parvesh Verma informed the assembly on Friday.
Replying to questions raised by BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay, Verma said the government had launched development works worth Rs 7,212 crore over the past 11 months. He said the Delhi government is working in coordination with the Centre to ensure drinking water reaches every household and remains committed to providing clean, fair and uninterrupted water supply across the city.
Minister slams AAP regime
Taking a swipe at the previous AAP government, Verma said the current administration had inherited long standing problems but was choosing to address them rather than avoid responsibility. He said the focus now is on delivering practical solutions.
Verma said Delhi’s water pipeline network spans around 16,000 km, of which more than 5,200 km are over 30 years old and about 2,700 km are around 20 years old. He said ageing infrastructure has led to frequent leakages, pipeline bursts, risks of contamination and non revenue water losses of up to 55 per cent.
To increase water availability, Verma said the government is holding discussions with neighbouring states. He said efforts are being made to source raw drinking water from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in exchange for treated water for irrigation, an arrangement that could add about 30 million gallons per day to Delhi’s overall supply.
Chandrawal, Wazirabad water projects to be revived
The minister said the Chandrawal and Wazirabad water reform projects, first proposed in 2011, remained stalled for years because of indecision, repeated cancellation of tenders and disputes with funding agencies under the previous government. He said the current administration has revived both projects to strengthen the city’s water infrastructure.
According to Verma, the Chandrawal project, with an estimated cost of Rs 2,406 crore, includes laying 1,044 km of new pipelines and building 21 underground reservoirs, benefiting 9 Assembly constituencies. The Wazirabad project, costing Rs 3,715 crore and supported by the Asian Development Bank, involves 1,697 km of new pipelines and 14 underground reservoirs across 11 constituencies.
Verma also said work has begun to replace broken and damaged pipelines to reduce water contamination. He said water losses through the Munak canal, currently at about 40 per cent, are targeted to be brought down to 5 per cent within the next 2 years.
He said this would support the government’s commitment to providing around-the-clock water supply to every household in Delhi.
To further augment supply, the government is also reviving a 113 MGD water sharing project with Himachal Pradesh, he said.
Verma added that the Delhi Jal Board has initiated a plan to collect sewage from septic tanks wherever they are in use. He said around 300 trucks will be hired to transport sewage from residential areas to sewage treatment plants. In addition, Rs 170 crore has been allocated for cleaning about 100 km of trunk sewer lines.
