The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has issued an advisory warning residents of the national capital of a two-day water supply disruption on January 9 and 10. According to the advisory, areas fed by the Hindu Rao Reservoir will be affected due to an annual flushing programme at the Chandrawal Water Works.
In a post on X, the DJB said the annual flushing programme of reservoirs under the command area of Chandrawal Water Works for the year 2025–26 will be carried out. This is a routine maintenance process where reservoirs are cleaned to ensure water quality.
Affected Areas (Friday and Saturday): Residents in these locations should prepare for low pressure or no water:
- Chandni Chowk
- Lahori Gate
- Pili Kohti
- Kashmiri Gate
- St Stephen Hospital
- Hindu Rao Hospital
- Civil Lines
- Naya bazaar booster pumping station
- Naya Bans
- Mori Gate
- Tirath Ram Hospital
- Rajpur Road
- Bungalow Road
- Sarai Phoos
This maintenance follows a tragic incident in Indore’s Bhagirathpura, where 16 people died after drinking contaminated water. To prevent a similar crisis, the Delhi government ordered the DJB to intensify inspections. Officials must now check pipelines near sewer lines to fix leaks and prevent cross-contamination immediately.
Water supply will also be suspended in several other neighborhoods due to "interconnection work." This involves linking a newly laid 900 mm water main at six different locations.
- Inder Puri
- Todapur Village
- Naraina Vilage
- Naraina Vihar
- Krishi Kunj
- Mansarovar Garden
- Rajouri Garden area
- MES & Command area of Kirti Nagar
- BPS/UGR HMP Colony
- Partially Command area of Punjabi Bagh BPS UGR
- Tilak Nagar
- Khyala
- Vishnu Garden
- JJ Colony Khyala
- Ravi Nagar & Chand Nagar and adjoining areas
Beyond supply issues, an internal report has revealed a massive gap in the DJB’s administration. Nearly 60% of consumers do not receive physical water bills. This flaw has weakened the government’s “water bill amnesty” program, as many residents are unaware they owe money.
According to officials, flawed billing mechanism has impacted of the government’s water bill amnesty initiative as many consumers are unaware of their pending dues. On Thursday, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Verma said that the existing system is outdated and ineffective.
Asserting that timely and accurate billing was crucial for both consumer awareness and revenue recovery, Parvesh Verma said, “We are planning to completely overhaul the DJB’s outdated billing system. Currently, only about 40% of registered customers are receiving physical water bills," Hindustan Times reported.
He added, “Many households are unaware of their bill pendency. Several people complain about not receiving bills for years, and then suddenly they receive a huge amount. Hence, software changes are required to make the system more efficient.”
Presently, Delhi has around 2.9 million registered water connections which is far lower than the actual number of households in the capital, as per officials.
