Delhi Jal Board issues a warning about potential damage to the water supply following an increase in ammonia levels.

  • Dec. 27, 2023, 11:40 a.m.

Production of clean water has been affected at water treatment plants (WTP) in Wazirabad and Chandrawal due to high levels of ammonia in the Yamuna which will likely affect water supply in various parts of the city, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

The Wazirabad WTP has a capacity of 135 MGD, whereas the Chandrawal WTP has a capacity of 90 MGD. Drinking water is supplied by these plants to portions of Delhi's northeast, central, west, and south.

According to a Delhi Jal Board officer who wished to remain anonymous, 25% of water production at Chandrawal WTPs and 50% at Wazirabad WTPs was reduced on Tuesday. The two WTPs' water output has been reduced due to the Yamuna's high pollution levels. Thus, starting on December 25 in the evening and continuing until the situation improves, only low-pressure supply is available," the official stated.

However, almost 24 hours after DJB claimed that the two WTPs were operating at reduced capacities, Somnath Bharti, vice chairperson of DJB, stated that the Chandrawal WTP was operating at 100% capacity on Tuesday at 9 pm, while the Wazirabad WTP was operating at 70% capacity.

The issue is still getting better, and DJB is making a lot of effort to get things back to normal in both WTPs. An ammonia-treating plant is being built at Chandrawal WTP and will be integrated into the new, future WTP that can handle ammonia, according to Bharti. According to Bharti, the Wazirabad WTP primarily feeds water to regions in Old Delhi and some portions of south Delhi, including Greater Kailash I. However, the pressure of the supply to these areas may be low.

Chlorination is a process that DJB plants can use to cleanse raw water containing up to 1 ppm of ammonia; however, utilising the chemical over this level produces harmful chemicals. Water treatment plant operations are negatively impacted whenever ammonia levels exceed the 1 ppm threshold. The ammonia level was 2.3 ppm on Monday.

 

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

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