NEW DELHI: The ammonia level in the Yamuna spiked again in the past two days, and on Friday, measured around 8ppm. This is likely to affect the water production at the water treatment plants, which are designed to manage ammonia only up to 1ppm.
"The water treatment plants have not been shut down yet, but if the situation does not change, water production may be reduced," said a DJB official requesting anonymity. Delhi Jal Board itself did not respond to TOI's queries and neither confirmed nor denied the rise in ammonia levels in the river.
Ammonia in the water had assumed a political importance in the campaigning for the assembly elections. Since last year, there have been frequent increases and falls in the ammonia levels and in Jan, the situation became severe. AAP's allegation that BJP in Haryana was deliberately contaminating the river in the runup to polls had even pulled the Election Commission into the resulting controversy.
A rise in ammonia recurs every winter and sometimes during the summer. Given the perennial nature of the problem, the previous AAP govt planned to construct an ammonia treatment plant at Wazirabad, but the project never got off the planning table.
Whenever there is a rise in ammonia levels, the water treatment plants, unable to process the water because of the higher than the maximum 1ppm of ammonia they can manage, produces less water for supply across the city. Sometimes, the ammonia level can be so high that the treatment plants even have to be shut down, again affecting water supply. The high levels of ammonia are attributed to large amounts of untreated industrial chemicals and sewage entering the river and polluting the raw water.
The water utility has been complaining about high levels of ammonia in the Yamuna emanating from Haryana for some years. BJP, which is in power now in Delhi, has promised to solve the problems related to water supply and also to clean up the Yamuna. Since BJP also heads govt in Haryana, there are expectations that the problem will be resolved more easily.
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