Delhi LG Saxena seeks public opinion on meeting city's water demand

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday invited suggestions from the public to make the national capital self-sufficient in meeting drinking water demand.

The LG said Delhi's water demands are unsustainable and there is a shortage of around 280 million gallons a day (MGD) of drinking water in the city.

"Instead of blaming others, let us together make the capital self-sufficient by conserving water and augmenting our groundwater. Your suggestions & participation only will help us achieve this," the LG tweeted.

The capital depends on neighboring states for raw water: It gets 675 MGD of water from Haryana through two canals -- Carrier-Lined Channel (368 MGD) and Delhi Sub-Branch (177) -- and the Yamuna (65 MGD).

Besides, 253 MGD of water is received from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal, and the rest is drawn from ranney wells and tube wells installed across the city.

The Delhi Jal Board supplies 990 MGD of water to city residents.

Delhi faced a severe water shortage this summer season with Haryana releasing less water in the Yamuna and the two canals.

Between April 30 and June 18, the DJB wrote to the Haryana Irrigation Department nine times, urging it to release additional water in the river.

Earlier, Saxena had invited suggestions from the public on clearing "mountains of garbage" in Delhi, cleaning the Yamuna and improving air quality.

He had said that Delhi discharges 784 MGD of sewage in the Yamuna which has been converted into a muck-filled drain, and the mountains of garbage in the capital are a "national shame".

Saxena had also mentioned that "we generate most of the (air) pollutants ourselves".