Delhi water supply will continue in parts of east and south Delhi and NDMC areas during the annual maintenance of the Upper Ganga Canal, although residents may notice a change in taste or mineral content, the Delhi Jal Board said.
The DJB issued the clarification after reports circulated that water supply would be disrupted or stopped in around 22 areas between 21 October and 8 November. In a social media post and a related press note, the board described those reports as misleading and said normal supply would continue during the maintenance period.
The temporary change concerns the raw-water source for the Sonia Vihar and Bhagirathi water treatment plants. According to the DJB, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation and Water Resources Department is carrying out annual maintenance in the Upper Ganga Canal. As a result, the two plants will not receive raw Ganga water from midnight between 20 and 21 October until midnight between 8 and 9 November 2026.
To maintain supply, the DJB said it has arranged to draw raw water from the Yamuna and convey it to the two treatment plants during the maintenance period. The change is expected to affect parts of east Delhi, south Delhi and areas served by the New Delhi Municipal Council.
The board said residents in these areas may detect a slight difference in the taste of drinking water or in its mineral content because the raw-water source will temporarily change from the Ganga to the Yamuna. It did not announce a general suspension of supply or a change to the normal distribution schedule.
The DJB specifically stated that the water supplied to residents would remain treated and tested. It said the processed water would comply with prescribed drinking-water safety standards and that the temporary source change would not affect the safety or quality of the water delivered through the network.
The clarification highlights the operational dependence of Delhi’s treated-water network on multiple raw-water sources and treatment facilities. In this instance, maintenance in an upstream canal has required a temporary shift in the source feeding two major plants rather than a city-wide interruption of distribution.
The board has asked residents not to rely on misleading reports and to cooperate during the period of temporary source substitution. The stated arrangement will remain in place until the Upper Ganga Canal maintenance window ends between 8 and 9 November 2026, after which the supply arrangement is expected to return to the regular source configuration.
