NDMC chalks out ‘Summer Action Plan’ to tackle water crisis

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Monday announced its Summer Action Plan 2025, outlining a series of measures to ensure a steady water supply, strengthen distribution infrastructure and address waterlogging concerns in the capital. NDMC vice-chairman Kuljeet Singh Chahal, while unveiling the plan, said that several initiatives, including additional water tankers, improved pipelines and continuous water quality monitoring, have been put in place to prevent any water crisis during the peak summer months.

Chahal assured that no resident in the NDMC area would face water shortages this year. He stated that the NDMC has worked in coordination with the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to strengthen the water distribution network. At present, the NDMC area caters to 18,366 water consumers, including 3,509 commercial connections, 11,846 domestic connections and 3,011 other types of connections. The city receives nearly 125 million litres per day (MLD) from DJB, along with an additional 2.08 MLD from tube-wells. Water is supplied from major treatment plants at Chandrawal, Wazirabad, Haiderpur and Sonia Vihar.

To address the rising demand, the NDMC has decided to expand its fleet of water tankers by hiring eight additional tankers and procuring 12 new CNG water tankers, including six with a 17-kilolitre capacity and six with a 9-KLD capacity. The existing fleet consists of 10 large tankers of 9,000 litres each, 23 water trolleys of 5,000 litres each, and two tractor-tankers. Additionally, efforts have been made to improve storage and distribution efficiency by repairing and maintaining 24 underground reservoirs and boosting stations across NDMC areas. Some key reservoirs undergoing upgrades include Kalibari Control Room, Jor Bagh and Vinay Marg.

Along with improving supply, the NDMC has put a strong focus on maintaining water quality. Regular cleaning of pipelines, monitoring ammonia levels in Yamuna water, and conducting routine water sample testing are part of the new action plan. Special attention is being given to water-stressed areas, including Gol Market, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, North Block, South Block, RML Hospital, Mandir Marg and Connaught Place. While Rashtrapati Bhavan and Parliament House will receive a 24x7 reserved water supply, emergency tanker deployment will be available if required.

To enhance citizen grievance redressal, the NDMC has set up a 24x7 water control room at Kali Bari Marg, where residents can register complaints through a toll-free call centre, control room helpline numbers, WhatsApp (8588887773), the NDMC 311 mobile app, or direct contact with local officials.

Looking beyond the immediate summer needs, the NDMC has also initiated long-term projects to modernise the city’s water supply infrastructure. The first phase of the 24x7 water supply initiative has been launched in Vinay Marg, where new pipelines and automated distribution systems are being installed at a cost of Rs 1.67 crore. Additionally, the NDMC is expanding water access to 34 slum clusters under the “Har Ghar Jal” initiative, providing piped water connections to 9,386 households under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme, with an estimated cost of Rs 7.15 crore.