The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has issued an urgent advisory to residents of the national capital, warning of a planned two-day disruption in water supply. The utility has announced that several key areas will face a water shortage on January 9 and 10, 2025, due to essential maintenance work.
Areas Affected by Reservoir Flushing
The primary cause for the disruption is the annual flushing programme of reservoirs under the command area of the Chandrawal Water Works for the 2025-26 cycle. This process is crucial for maintaining water quality but necessitates a temporary shutdown.
The advisory specifically mentions that the Hindu Rao Reservoir area will be impacted. The following localities should prepare for reduced or no water supply during this period:
- Chandni Chowk
- Lahori Gate and Kashmiri Gate
- Pili Kohti
- St Stephen Hospital and Hindu Rao Hospital
- Civil Lines
- Naya Bazaar, Naya Bans, and Mori Gate
- Tirath Ram Hospital
- Rajpur Road, Bungalow Road, and Sarai Phoos
Additional Disruption Due to Pipeline Work
Separately, water supply will remain suspended on Friday and Saturday in several regions of west Delhi due to interconnection work on a newly laid 900 mm diameter pipeline at Khyala. The affected areas include:
- Inder Puri, Todapur Village, Naraina Village, and Naraina Vihar
- Krishi Kunj and Mansarovar Garden
- Rajouri Garden area
- MES & Command area of Kirti Nagar
- Parts of Punjabi Bagh, Tilak Nagar, and Vishnu Garden
- Khyala, JJ Colony Khyala, Ravi Nagar, Chand Nagar and adjoining zones
Billing System Crisis Coincides with Supply Cut
This supply disruption comes at a time when the DJB is grappling with a significant administrative failure in its billing system. An internal assessment has revealed a startling gap: nearly 60% of consumers do not receive physical water bills at their homes.
This flaw has severely undermined the government's water bill amnesty scheme, as countless residents are unaware of their pending dues. Delhi Water Minister, Parvesh Verma, addressed the issue on Thursday, labeling the existing system as outdated and ineffective.
"We are planning to completely overhaul the DJB's outdated billing system. Currently, only about 40% of registered customers are receiving physical water bills," Verma stated, as reported by Hindustan Times.
He emphasized the need for urgent software upgrades, noting, "Many households are unaware of their bill pendency. Several people complain about not receiving bills for years, and then suddenly they receive a huge amount."
The scale of the problem is further highlighted by the official data: Delhi has approximately 2.9 million registered water connections, a number officials admit is far lower than the actual count of households in the city, indicating a vast coverage and billing gap.
Residents in the listed areas are advised to store an adequate amount of water in advance to manage through the 48-hour disruption period.
