Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to give him daily reports on water availability and supply, and prepare a comprehensive plan to ensure that treated wastewater is reused in the city.
The DJB supplies 995 million gallons of water a day for the consumption and daily needs of around two crore residents of Delhi, against the demand of around 1,300 MGD.
The government is aiming to increase the water availability in the national capital to 1,240 MGD by March 2025.
Kejriwal held a meeting with DJB officials to review the preparations for the summer season.
"DJB will now have to give daily report of total availability and supply of water in Delhi to Honorable Chief Minister," the chief minister's office wrote on Twitter.
"Complete plan for re-use of STP water should be made, water will also be given to nearby parks," it said in another tweet.
Delhi's sewage treatment plants discharge 514 MGD of treated waste water, of which 267 MGD is returned to the Yamuna river for downstream use and 90 MGD is used for horticulture purposes.
The reuse of treated wastewater for purposes such as gardening, road cleaning and at construction sites can save a lot of drinking water which can be provided to water-scarce areas, officials said.
The CMO in a statement said the DJB will set up 500 reverse osmosis plants with tubewells in water-scarce areas including unauthorised colonies in the first phase.
Currently, residents in such areas depend on water tankers.
The DJB is setting up 30 RO plants of 50,000 litres per day (50 KLD) capacity as a pilot project. Two such plants have already been installed at Jharoda and Shakur Basti. Two more are being set up in the Hari Nagar assembly constituency.
The CMO also said the government will ensure an early approval for all the DJB schemes from different departments.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast above-normal temperatures in most parts of the country this summer season, which could strain the water supply in parts of Delhi, which depends on neighbouring states for water.
-With PTI Input
