In light of flooding in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday conducted an inspection of Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The shutdown of Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla WTPs was necessitated earlier today due to the entry of floodwater into the machines.
The water level of the Yamuna river has risen unexpectedly, reaching a record height of 208.60 metres, causing significant disruptions to the functioning of the water treatment plants.
As a consequence of the shutdown, the production levels of potable water have been reduced by 25 percent. The citizens of Delhi may experience water shortage for a day or two until normal operations can be restored. Delhi Water Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj was also present during the inspection.
Kejriwal has assured the public that as soon as the water level recedes, all three plants will be thoroughly dried and promptly restarted. The necessary preparations have been made to ensure a swift recovery once conditions allow. The government is actively monitoring the situation and taking all necessary steps to mitigate the impact on water supply.
In view of the prevailing circumstances, the Delhi Chief Minister appealed to the residents of the national capital to avoid unnecessary travel and, if possible, work from home. By doing so, individuals can contribute to the overall effort in managing the situation effectively and reducing strain on the available resources.
The CM emphasised that the government is committed to providing essential services and support to affected individuals. Efforts are underway to ensure that all basic facilities are made available in the relief centres established across the city. The government is working diligently to provide the necessary assistance to those affected by the flooding.
After visiting the Wazirabad WTP, Kejriwal tweeted, “Due to rising water level in Yamuna river, Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants have to be closed. Due to this there will be water problems in some areas of Delhi. As soon as the Yamuna water recedes, we will try to start them as soon as possible.”
In further tweets, the Delhi CM also wrote, “The water level of Yamuna is increasing continuously. Now the water has reached 208.46m. Due to the rising water level, the Yamuna has come on the roads around it. People are requested not to go on these routes. People are being evacuated from the populated areas where there is water.”
“The people living there are requested to cooperate with the administration. Saving the lives of people is most important. We appeal to all the people of Delhi to cooperate with each other in every possible way in this emergency situation.”
In another tweet, he wrote, “I appeal to all volunteers, councillors, MLAs and all other people to visit relief camps and provide all possible support. All government and private schools are being closed in the areas of Delhi where water is filling up.”
Speaking to media persons after visiting the Wazirabad WTP, Kejriwal said, “Today we are at the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP). It is for the first time ever that the water levels of the Yamuna river are so high. As of this morning, they were above 208.60 metres. We had never imagined the water level would go this high. Because of this, three of our WTPs in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla have had to shut down.”
“The rise in water levels has led to the machines of the WTPs to be submerged in the waters as well. Now we need the water levels to decrease and after that the machines to be dried out, as the machines run on electricity and there is a fear of someone getting electrocuted. Only once this is done can we run these WTPs once again,” he added.
He added, “Because of the shutdown of these three WTPs, the production of water in Delhi will reduce by 25 percent. Besides this, we earlier also had several tube wells running in the plains along the river, but these have also had to shut down. So, because of all this there is a possibility that there could be some problems in the supply of water in parts of Delhi over the next 1-2 days.”
He further said: “Whatever reports we are receiving about the level of the water in the Yamuna river from the Central Water Commission, we are making it available to the public. For now, all we know is that the water level is drastically rising at the moment. But the predictions from the CWC inform us that the river will reach its peak at around 3-4 pm today. After that the level of water is expected to decrease. So, I would like to urge the people to show some restraint. They should not leave their house unless it is absolutely mandatory for them to go out.”
“I would also request those people who have the option to work from home to utilise it. We have also temporarily closed down the schools that are in the low-lying areas along the river. We are trying our best to provide all the facilities to the people who have had to reside in the relief camps for the time being,” he said.