New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday said that the government is working on a war footing to deliver adequate drinking water to every citizen of the capital.

After a review meeting, the Chief Minister said that the government is paying equal attention to immediate relief measures as well as long-term solutions so that the water situation can be permanently controlled in the future, said a statement.

The Chief Minister informed that due to the water availability being affected near Wazirabad in the Yamuna, the supply is under strain.

According to the Chief Minister, to tackle the water-related challenges arising due to the scorching heat, an assurance has been given by Haryana to maintain a minimum of 1,000 cusecs of water supply through the Munak Canal, and efforts are being made to provide relief to the people through more than 980 tankers and over 6,000 daily trips.

The meeting held through video conferencing from the Chief Minister Seva Sadan was attended by Water Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh, Delhi Jal Board Vice Chairperson Satish Upadhyay, Member Ajay Mahawar, Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma, Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Vijay Bidhuri and other senior officials were present in the meeting.

In this regard, she spoke to the Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini, as a result of which the Haryana government assured to maintain a minimum of 1,000 cusecs of water supply to Delhi through the Munak Canal.

The Chief Minister said that protecting the interests of Delhi and ensuring drinking water availability are among the highest priorities of the government.

The Chief Minister was informed that to deal with the current situation, more than 980 water tankers of the Delhi Jal Board are operating over 6,000 trips daily.

Small tankers have also been deployed to ensure water supply in densely populated areas and narrow lanes. Additionally, by establishing additional borewells in the Yamuna Khadar area, water production capacity has been increased by 10.5 MGD per day.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to take immediate action considering every incident of water leakage seriously.

The Chief Minister also directed that Delhi Jal Board officials should personally monitor the complaints received daily and, if necessary, go to the field themselves to verify the situation.

According to the Chief Minister, 11,055 complaints were received on the Delhi Jal Board helpline in the last one week, out of which more than 8,500 complaints have been resolved.

The Chief Minister directed the quick redressal of the remaining complaints as well.

The Chief Minister directed the officials that along with short-term measures to deal with the current circumstances, work on long-term water management plans should also be done at an equal pace, so that future requirements can also be effectively met along with immediate relief.

Under this, a study on the feasibility of bringing water through a pipeline from Haryana is being conducted, so that water loss and leakage can be reduced. In this regard, a feasibility study is being conducted by IIT Roorkee, she said.

In addition to this, work is also being done on schemes such as dredging and de-silting work in the Yamuna near Wazirabad, establishment of new water treatment plants, and developing additional borewells in the Yamuna Khadar area, she said.

–IANS

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