NEW DELHI: With the assembly elections
scheduled for later this year, Delhi Jal Board’s budget for 2013-14 has
earmarked 39% of its Rs 1,665 crore budget for urban water supply. The
focus of their work this year, as has been for the past few years, is
improving sewage and sanitation for which Rs 774.8 crore has sanctioned.

Another Rs 204.35 crore from the central funds has been allocated for Yamuna Action Plan-III. JNNURM
funds to the tune of Rs 336.80 crore from the share for sewage works
will be utilized for the interceptor sewage system, rehabilitation of
trunk sewers and construction of sewage treatment plants at Nilothi,
Pappan Kalan and one sewage pumping station.

Extensive
rehabilitation work at Delhi’s oldest water treatment plant at
Chandrawal and its command areas will also be undertaken this year. Work
will take at least three years for completion. The plant was
constructed in the 1930’s and has sprouted major leaks in the system
resulting in wastage of water.

The board’s net cash revenue
surplus has increased in the last four years from Rs 40.56 crore in
2007-08 to an expected surplus of Rs 233.57 crore during 2013-14. DJB’s
dependence on the government for operational costs has been reduced from
Rs.380 crore in 2009-10 to zero in 2013-14.

Cutting down
non-revenue water losses is also high on DJB’s agenda for this year. The
board has approved maintenance and installation of new meters in Delhi
at a cost of Rs 173,68,85,000 for seven years. Four lakh new water
meters have already been installed while four lakh more are being
procured of a total installment of eight lakh.

Debashree Mukherjee, CEO of DJB
said that in the water sector, DJB’s focus will be on extending the
water network to planned and unplanned areas, minimizing water leakages,
full domestic metering and augmentation of production capacity. Of the
937 unauthorized colonies where pipes for water supply
have been laid, 800 are getting water while the remaining should get it
shortly. A technical feasibility has also been carried out for another
210.

The city’s waste water treatment capacity is also going to
be increased from 544 mgd to 628 mgd in 2013-14 after commissioning of
Yamuna Vihar, Kondli, Kapashera and Chilla STPs. New trunk services have
been laid to extend sewerage facilities to new areas.