No late fee on water bill payments

In a major relief for Delhi residents, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced a complete waiver of late payment surcharge (LPSC) on water bills amounting to over Rs 11,000 crore. The scheme, aimed at easing the financial burden on consumers and regularising unauthorised connections, will remain in effect till January 31, 2026.

Under the new late payment surcharge waiver scheme, domestic consumers, who clear their pending water bills by January 31, 2026, will receive 100 per cent waiver on late payment charge. Those who settle dues between February 1 and March 31, 2026, will be eligible for a 70 per cent waiver.

“The government is waiving off Rs 11,000 surcharge on water bills. The LPSC waiver will be 100 per cent till January 31, 2026. After that, we will not extend this benefit. From February 1 till March 31 next year, the waiver will be 70 per cent,” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced at a press conference.

The Chief Minister also announced another scheme to regularise unauthorised water and sewer connections. Under the Unauthorised Water and Sewer Connection Regularisation Scheme, penalties for converting illegal water connections to legal connections have been reduced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1,000 for domestic users and from Rs 61,000 to Rs 5,000 for non-domestic connections. The scheme will remain open till January 31, 2026.

Gupta said there are currently around 29 lakh unauthorised water connections in the city. “Several families use water without proper authorisation, often due to lack of awareness or inability to pay high regularisation fee. This step gives them an opportunity to become legal consumers and avoid disconnection,” she said.

The Chief Minister clarified that while the penalty has been reduced, regular water and sewer charges and infrastructure fee must still be paid. After the deadline, unauthorised connections will face strict action, including disconnection.

According to Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials, the total outstanding amount on pending water bills across all categories, including domestic, commercial and government, stands at Rs 87,589 crore. Of this, Rs 80,463 crore, or 91 per cent, constitutes late payment surcharges.

Water Minister Parvesh Verma described the announcement as a Diwali gift for the people of Delhi. “This decision has been taken in public interest. While it may result in financial loss for the Jal Board, it will greatly benefit the public,” he said.

Verma said the government’s larger goal is to modernise and strengthen the Jal Board, enhance sewer facilities and implementing projects to keep the Yamuna clean.

‘No froth in Yamuna during Chhath’

CM Rekha Gupta said, “I am fully confident that gradually, as we continue our efforts, people of Delhi will be able to witness a clean and free-flowing Yamuna. Very soon, we all will celebrate Chhath in Delhi with great fervour. The Jal Board has made complete preparations, and our ministers are continuously working on this. I want to assure the people of Delhi time they will not see any froth on the Yamuna during the Chhath festival.”