Ammonia Levels In Yamuna Spike Up, Delhi Jal Board Blames Haryana For Release Of Industrial Effluents

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Wednesday said that the water supply to parts of the north, central and south Delhi would be disrupted due to a spike in the ammonia levels of Yamuna.

DJB vice-chairman and AAP leader Raghav Chadha blamed the Haryana government for the release of industrial effluents into the river even after "repeated reminders". He has also asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to look into the issue seriously, keeping in mind the state's "irresponsible behaviour".

The most recent hike was seen on Monday and Tuesday, where ammonia levels rose up to 7.3 parts per million (ppm) at the Wazirabad Pond, which is against the acceptable limit of 0.5 ppm. If the concentration of ammonia rises beyond the limit, the water production at 3 out of 9 water treatment plants has to either be stopped or reduced. These power plants include Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla.

The reason for Haryana being blamed is because the Yamuna flows into Delhi from Haryana that has industrial units in Sonipat. Today, ammonia is used as a chemical in the production of dyes, plastics, and various fertilizers.

Haryana's irrigation department is soon going to start a process where the mixing of the freshwater and the wastewater could be avoided. Very often, the water mixes due to overflow or damage caused to the wall that separates both the drains of water.

The government officials in Haryana have also pointed out that this issue is being raised by Delhi simply because it wants more water to be released so as to meet the people's demands in the state. However, DJB vice-chairman Raghav Chadha said that the city receives 'much less than the share of water that they deserve', as reported by The Indian Express.

Several officials in Haryana and in the DJB state said that the Board should increase its capacity to treat the increasing levels of ammonia in the water. A conduit pipeline is yet to be made to prevent the intermixing of the fresh and sewage water. The Yamuna Monitoring Committee has also fast-tracked the building of the pipeline.