On January 29, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, requested the Center to provide 1.3 billion gallons per day (MGD) of water to the Union Territory. He said that will help ensure 24-hour water supply for the people of the city.
After inaugurating an 11 million liter underground water reservoir (UGR) in Patparganj village, Kejriwal said the Delhi government is trying to increase water availability in the city.
“Delhi received 800-850 MGD of water when its population was around 80 lakhs. It still receives the same water, though the population has now tripled to Rs 2.5 crore,” the PM said.
“We will supply 24-hour water to every household in the city if the Center provides 1,300 MGD of water to Delhi,” he added.
Adding more, Kejriwal said that Delhi can receive water from neighboring Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and his government would work for this.
Apart from water from Yamuna, Ganga and neighboring states, Delhi is also working to increase availability through local sources, it added.
In the last seven years, the availability of water in Delhi has increased from 861 MGD to 990 MGD through water treatment plants, tube wells and stormwater wells.
The Delhi government has built twelve reservoirs and three treatment plants in the past seven years, it said.
The UGR village of Patparganj, built at a cost of $32 crore, will benefit almost one lakh residents of Patparganj village, Pandav Nagar, Shashi Garden, Mayur Vihar societies and Chilla village among others.