‘Water supply in Delhi won’t be affected for Ganga canal maintenance', says DJB
Uttar Pradesh irrigation department said the canal would be closed till November 5 and it might impact water supply in Delhi along with other districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Saturday said the water supply in the national capital will not be affected following the closure of Ganga canal for maintenance till November 5.
The Ganga Canal, which largely supplies water for drinking and irrigation purposes to several districts of western Uttar Pradesh, including Ghaziabad, was shut for maintenance on Friday, according to new agency PTI.
DJB supplies around 900-950 million gallons of water per day in the national capital.
The DJB officials said that apart from groundwater the national capital relies largely on Yamuna river and partially on Ganga river for water supply to the city. It also gets water from western Yamuna canal.
A senior DJB official said there is no need to panic as only a small percentage of water comes to Delhi from Ganga Canal which can be balanced thorough supply from Yamuna river.
"There will no disturbance or shortage in water supply in the city due to closure of the Ganga Canal. We have sufficient water in Yamuna so the shortage from Ganga Canal can be met through excess water from Yamuna. There is no need to worry," the DJB official familiar with the development told PTI earlier in the day.
He said the maintenance of Ganga canal is a routine exercise which is carried out every year.
Officials of the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department said the canal would be closed till November 5 and it might impact water supply in Delhi along with other districts of western Uttar Pradesh.
Water supply in 19 districts of the state, including Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Etah, Hathras and Firozabad, is likely to be disrupted and farmers may face a shortage, the department officials said.
They said during the period of maintenance, farmers may have to partially rely on tubewells and pumping sets to irrigate their fields.