Ammonia surge in Yamuna disrupts water supply to city

The city’s water supply took a hit due to rising ammonia levels in the Yamuna, which have rendered the water untreatable at Delhi’s major treatment plants, Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi.

Amid the Upper Ganga Canal’s scheduled maintenance from October 12 to October 31, these plants have been forced to source water from the ammonia-contaminated Yamuna, leading to a 25-30 per cent reduction in the city’s water output, DJB Vice-President Vinay Mishra said.

Extremely hazardous

• The Yamuna water is highly polluted, containing 0.9 ppm of ammonia — a level extremely hazardous to health
• For safe water treatment, ammonia levels must remain at or below 0.5 ppm

During an inspection of the Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi Water Treatment Plants (WTPs), Mishra said, “We visited the plant. It is only for 15 days of a year that we take water from Yamuna in the Wazirabad and Sonia Vihar plants. During today’s visit, we found that the Yamuna water is highly polluted, containing 0.9 ppm of ammonia — a level extremely hazardous to health, which is disrupting the proper functioning of our plants.”

‘Haryana Govt has become hostile’

The Haryana Government has become so hostile, driven by animosity towards Arvind Kejriwal, that it appears to disregard the wellbeing of Delhi people.Rs — Vinay Mishra, Vice-President, delhi Jal board

For safe water treatment, ammonia levels must remain at or below 0.5 ppm, and currently, they are almost double this threshold. Mishra attributed the rising contamination to industrial waste from Haryana, criticising the state government for its “hostile” approach.

“The Haryana Government has become so hostile, driven by animosity towards Arvind Kejriwal, that it appears to disregard the wellbeing of Delhi people,” he said, alleging that the waste dumped from Haryana is polluting the Yamuna and compounding the water issues in the Capital.

The Vice-President said the toxic ammonia levels are impacting public health and forcing Delhi’s water treatment plants to operate at minimal capacity.

“Kejriwal is actively working to address the issue, and I assure Delhiites that, under his leadership, they will start receiving clean water within 3-4 days, with the plant operating at full capacity,” he noted.

“After becoming the Vice-President of the Delhi Jal Board, I inspected the water treatment plant today. Ammonia is increasing in the water due to industrial waste coming from Haryana. The Delhi Government will soon talk to its Haryana counterparts and resolve this issue so that Delhiites can get clean water,” he said.