Tale of parallel drains: Jal Board says Haryana channel impacting Delhi’s water supply
According to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), ‘drain number 6’ is choked with garbage, silt, effluents and sludge, while ‘drain number 8’ is relatively clean.
Behind water that smells like sewage — a not uncommon problem in parts of Delhi — is the story of two drains in neighbouring Haryana, one, a drain in the dictionary sense of the word, and the other, more a waterway than a drain.
According to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), improper maintenance of drain number 6 in Sonipat, Haryana, is to blame. In a submission on March 4 to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), DJB has said drain number 6 and drain number 8 run parallel to each other. The former is a true drain, choked with garbage, silt, effluents and sludge; the latter is relatively clean and carries water which, after processing, is used for drinking purposes in Delhi, the water body’s submission said. It added that drain number 6 sees frequent overflows, which leach into drain 8, causing problems for Delhi.
“The issue requires action from the Haryana state authorities. However, their neglect is impacting the water quality... Treatment is hindered due to high pollutants and this situation could lead to a water crisis in Delhi, particularly affecting the production of water at Wazirabad and Chandrawal Water Treatment Plants,” said DJB’s submission, a copy of which has been seen by HT.
P Raghavendra Rao, chairman of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), said he had not seen the report submitted in NGT, but if the allegations are correct, then necessary corrective action will be taken. “Once we go through the report, we can take appropriate action. Departments connected to this problem will be asked to present the necessary information and we will ensure no environmental damage takes place,” he said.
DJB said the two plants named above supply potable water to important areas in the Capital, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Prime Minister’s residence, the Supreme Court, the high court , adding that repeated letters sent to authorities in Haryana have not resulted in any action.
“There have been no visible improvements in the physical condition of diversion drain number 6 to prevent sewage from mixing with drain number 8. However, regular follow-ups are being conducted with officials from the Haryana Irrigation department (HID) and Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) to ensure necessary action is taken,” said DJB’s submission, stating that it and HSPCB are conducting joint sampling on a regular basis upstream in the Yamuna.
A sampling on February 22 found ammonia levels exceeded the 1 part per million (ppm) threshold at all testing points from where samples were collected, the submission said.
DJB faces the problem of high ammonia level in Yamuna water throughout the year, which becomes relatively acute between January and March. Currently, the water utility is equipped to treat ammonia levels by adding chlorine, but only up to the 0.9ppm level. Officials say chlorination beyond this limit leads to the production of toxic chloramine compounds. Whenever ammonia levels breach the 1ppm mark, water production at Delhi Jal Board treatment plants is hit, they added.
When ammonia exceeds 1 ppm, water treatment at plants is halted till the levels normalise and go below this threshold. High ammonia is considered toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms. In human beings and other higher animals, long-term ingestion of ammonia over 1 ppm can lead to organ damage. High concentration of ammonia can also cause a burning sensation in the throat and lead to persistent coughing.
Bhim Singh Rawat, a Yamuna activist and member of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) said DJB’s findings were fairly accurate, and claimed to have documented the same problem multiple times since 2010.
“Both of these are supposed to be stormwater drains, but drain 6 carries toxic effluents and there is no permanent barrier between the two drains. During rains and even when flow is strong, drain 6 overflows into drain number 8. We have also seen sandbags placed in between at places to separate the two , which will clearly never work,” he added, stating the only solution in the long run is to prevent waste and effluents from entering drain 6 too.
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