NEW DELHI: In an effort to enhance Delhi’s water supply, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has initiated a large-scale desilting project aimed at increasing the storage capacity of the Wazirabad pond, a key raw water source in the capital.
The initiative, expected to significantly boost water production, comes at a time when the city continues to fall short of its daily water requirement. Earlier this month, Water Minister Parvesh Verma visited the Wazirabad water treatment plant and announced the government’s plan to take up desilting operations in the pond area located in North Delhi.
The DJB has since floated a Rs 25 crore tender to remove 3.63 lakh cubic metres of accumulated silt, which officials say has drastically reduced the pond’s holding capacity.
“The work will be carried out upstream of the river, starting from Wazirabad up to Ramghat, which is a distance of around 1 km. Usually, during the monsoon season, silt is carried away downstream, but this is legacy silt, which has accumulated over the years,” a DJB official explained. Once the desilting is complete, a process expected to take two months, the pond’s storage capacity is projected to nearly double, adding around 100 million gallons per day (MGD) of holding space. The Wazirabad barrage serves as the first interception point of the Yamuna River within Delhi and feeds one of the largest water treatment plants in the city.
While the WTP is designed for a 220 MGD capacity, it currently functions at under half that due to silt-related limitations. “The Wazirabad WTP has a storage capacity of 220 MGD, but due to silt accumulation along a one-km stretch, it is currently holding only around 100 MGD,” Verma said.
Water production in the capital has grown steadily — from 927 MGD in 2020-21 to around 990–1,000 MGD in 2024 — yet still lags behind the estimated 1,290 MGD demand, as highlighted in the Economic Survey. During his earlier inspection, Verma drank treated water at the facility to demonstrate its safety. He also stressed the need for improved infrastructure.