Advanced management, team work and public support did the trick, says Kapil Mishra
24 Feb 2016 6:13 AM IST
In the ongoing Jat stir in Haryana, Delhi was left with only two Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) that were being fed by raw water from Uttar Pradesh. But in such severe circumstances, the crisis management of Delhi Jal Board averted “water protest” in the city. Delhi’s water minister Kapil Mishra shares his team’s efforts with Siddheshwar Shukla in order to avert the impending crisis and managing with just one third of the available water resources. Excerpts:
How did you manage with only 240 mgd water for the whole city?
We did not wait for the people to come out of their houses and protest. I directed my team to prepare the ‘crisis management plan’ in advance — firstly by informing residents about the crisis much before it actually struck and secondly planning our water rationing.
We had water till Monday morning but we started informing Delhiites since Friday about the upcoming water crisis which led to water saving and prevented wastage to a certain extent. We got tremendous support from the masses and reasonable use of what was left with us.
How did you manage water rationing?
We knew that only two WTPs Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi; that are fed by water from UP were functional. We withdrew almost all tankers from these areas and diverted them to rest of the city where piped water was not available. We never sent water tankers to anybody’s house but in colonies and public places. Besides, with the locals’ help, our officers ensured that water rationing took place for all.
Was there any stage when you became hopeless?
We were hopeful that after the Army took over control of Munak Canal, Delhi would get water from Haryana. But it was badly damaged. We had asked for water from Haryana through alternate channels but due to high pollution level what we received on Sunday evening was highly toxic as it contained huge amounts of ammonia. This was when we were disappointed but late in the night the water quality improved and Chandrawal and Wazirabad plants started.
What is the present situation of water production and supply in the city?
We are receiving 120 mgd of water from alternative canals from Haryana. Presently, Chandrawal WTP is fully operational while Wazirabad is 90 per cent and Okhla is 50 per cent operational. We will be able to restore water supply in parts of North, Central, New Delhi and Old Delhi. Limited water supply will be restored in most of the areas of the city on Wednesday except Dwarka and West Delhi.
These areas will be dependent on water tankers for the next 15 days till the complete repair of Munak Canal.
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