Indian water treatment plants shut as ammonia rises

Two water treatment plants in India were shut due to a high level of ammonia in the water, which doubled from 0.5 mg to 1 mg, forcing residents to boil their drinking water.

Chandrawal and Wazirabad water treatment plants were shut after a string of problems which started when the state of Haryana released water for Delhi into the river Yamuna where water levels had been quite low.

A local official told the Times of India:  "Usually Haryana supplies water up to the Wazirabad Barrage through drain number eight and not the main river channel. However,Haryana had not been maintaining the channel properly and due to a possible plant growth inside, the amount of water coming to Delhi had reduced."

Industrial pollutants which had been collecting in the dry river over the months were dislodged by the sudden flow. These pollutants severely affected the water quality, travelling to Delhi where the water and their levels were too high to be treated by Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

"Haryana Irrigation Department was requested to release additional quantity of water at Munak to dilute the concentration of pollutants," the official concluded.

Posted by Joseph Hutton