Pilot project successful, 70 more modern extraction wells to boost water supply in E Delhi, says Jain

New Delhi: Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday visited multiple installations of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) at Sonia Vihar where the government has constructed 30 'Modern Extraction Wells' which can provide 6-8 times more water than ordinary wells and will increase the supply of water by 25-30 per cent.

Previously in the extraction well system, water was extracted and supplied to water treatment plants, where the water is purified and then delivered to the residents. However, in the modern wells constructed by the DJB which have been designed in such a way that water gets purified within the well and does not require any additional water treatment plant to treat the raw water. The capacity of each well is to supply 1.2 to 1.6 million gallons of water per day, the DJB said in a statement. Each new modern extraction well has a capacity to supply 7-8 times more water than the conventional wells. This will resolve the problem of drinking water in East Delhi areas.

The State government has designed and constructed 30 modern extraction wells in the premises of Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant.

The wells were constructed as part of a pilot project to determine whether the use of modern technology can result in more water augmentation or not. After the success of the pilot project the government will now build 70 more such wells in the same premises spread over 150 acres, the Minister said.

The modern wells will save the cost of setting up a new treatment plant and water can be directly pumped out and supplied. The system of the new wells is designed in such a way that it will automatically replenish the groundwater during the rainy season, so the extraction of water from the well will not have much effect on the groundwater levels. Ordinary wells have a diameter of 0.3 metre while these new wells have a diameter of 1-1.5 metres and a depth of 30 metres, the statement added.

"This well has been built with the joint efforts of the Delhi Jal Board, Public Works Department, and the Flood and Irrigation Department. This is an example of how if all the departments work together on a project, then not only can they complete the work quickly, but also increase the possibility of innovation in it," Jain added.