Delhi increases funds allocation for water sector from 5% to 10%

The Delhi government increased its allocation to the water sector from 5% to over 10% of the 75,800 crore budget on Saturday, bolstering the Aam Aadmi Party's promises to clean up the Yamuna river and provide 24x7 water to all residents.

In the fiscal year that began in April, the government allocated Rs 7,610 crore to the sector, up from Rs 3,274 crore the previous year.

The rejuvenation and development of Najafgarh drain, Delhi's largest drain; providing a 100% sewage network in unauthorised colonies by the end of the year; and providing 24x7 clean drinking water to all residents within three years are among the notable projects allocated funds in the budget.

Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister, announced on Saturday that the government has ensured a 10% increase in water production. According to Sisodia, who is also the finance minister, daily water availability has reached a new high of 985 million gallons per day (MGD).

The government's dream was to provide clean drinking water 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the next three years, according to Sisodia, who added that water availability has already increased by 10%.

According to budget documents, around 6,50,000 Delhi residents were now receiving 29 kilolitres of free water per day under the flagship free water scheme launched in 2015.

The Najafgarh drain will be revitalised and developed as a tourist attraction, according to Sisodia, who has set aside 705 crore for the project to raise the water level to that of the Sahibi river, the historical name for the water body. The work of preparing a detailed plan for the project has already begun.

According to the government's Friday budget, 30% of the 748 MGD sewage generated in city drains was discharged into the Yamuna untreated. Only 685 of Delhi's 1,799 unauthorised colonies were connected to the sewerage network as of December 2021.

Manoj Misra, a convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, an advocacy group, applauded the government's interest in the clean-up but said that the interventions should be planned with the drain's ecology in mind.

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