New Delhi: In a bold move to tackle mounting water woes and revenue losses, the Delhi government is set to revamp the city’s entire water supply and billing infrastructure. Central to the plan is the rollout of smart meters citywide, alongside a new bill collection system aimed at plugging financial leakages and enhancing accountability within the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The initiative is part of a larger water reform roadmap that includes infrastructure upgrades, reduction of non-revenue water (NRW), and the rejuvenation of the Yamuna river. According to officials, smart metering will help fix longstanding flaws in billing accuracy. “Meter readers have often been found uploading outdated or unrelated images, leading to inflated or arbitrary readings and significant losses,” a senior official said. Currently, about 900-meter readers are tasked with covering nearly 26.5 lakh water consumers across 41 DJB zones, a system that has come under increasing scrutiny for inefficiency. The need for reform was also underscored in a recent meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Officials revealed that both leaders discussed modernisation of the city’s water distribution, particularly targeting leakages and customer grievances.
Delhi, with its ever-expanding population, faces a recurring summer water crisis. The capital’s current demand stands at approximately 1,250 MGD (million gallons per day), but supply lags behind at just around 990 MGD. Nearly 90 per cent of this water comes from neighbouring states, 389 MGD from the Yamuna, 253 MGD from the Ganga, 221 MGD from Ravi-Beas, and 126 MGD from groundwater. To bridge this gap, Delhi Jal Board is planning to source an additional 26 MGD through 452 tubewells by September 2025. Simultaneously, Phase 2 of the 50-MGD Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant is under construction, expected to be completed by year-end. Plans are also in motion to tap new water sources in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. A long-term study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), originally conducted in 2011–12, had recommended a comprehensive review of Delhi’s water system to cut down on NRW. Now, JICA is expected to return, along with a second technical agency, to reassess the water network, identify gaps, and lay down a fresh action plan. The city currently offers up to 20,000 litres of water per household free of charge, a policy continued from the previous AAP administration. However, with rising operational costs, a revision in water tariffs is also under consideration, the first such review since 2018. These measures, officials say, are crucial not just for plugging fiscal holes but for creating a sustainable and transparent water distribution system in the national capital.