As searing temperatures grip the National Capital Region, large parts of Noida are reeling under a severe water shortage, with taps running dry in several high-density sectors. The immediate cause of the disruption is a shutdown of the Ganga water pipeline for urgent repairs, but residents allege the crisis has been years in the making — worsened by mismanagement, infrastructure neglect, and power fluctuations.
The ongoing repair work, slated to last till June 13, has choked water supply to critical residential zones including Sectors 105, 71, 117, 51, 100X, and 7X. These localities, home to thousands of apartment dwellers, have been grappling with an erratic supply for months. With the Ganga water supply now halted and no alternative arrangements in place, a full-blown crisis has emerged at the peak of summer. Apartment associations across the city have flagged that the water supply falls short of even half the daily requirement. A senior representative from a prominent housing association in Sector 51 confirmed that their complex, comprising 1,200 flats and nearly 5,000 residents, has been receiving less than 50% of the required water for years. Despite repeated representations to the concerned civic authorities, no long-term resolution has been undertaken.
In Sector 117, the situation on Tuesday turned dire as there was no water supply at all. Residents who reached out to the water department were informed that while water was released from tubewells, the pressure was too low to reach higher floors or distant residential blocks. The lack of water during a heatwave is not just a matter of discomfort — it raises serious health and hygiene concerns, especially in high-rise buildings where demand is steep. According to a circular issued by the water department, the Ganga supply line has been shut down for essential leakage repairs in Sectors 63 and 121. While older parts of Noida — such as Sectors 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, and 27 — have been exempted from the shutdown, these zones are also experiencing reduced pressure due to diverted supply from a smaller 20-cusec pipeline.
For residents of the newer sectors, the shutdown has come without a contingency plan. Local officials have advised housing societies to arrange private borewell water or hire water tankers at their own cost — a suggestion that many residents find unjust. As per several apartment management representatives, residents pay timely water charges to the Noida Authority, and yet are now forced to arrange basic services independently. Officials representing a citywide high-rise resident federation pointed out that this is not the first time the issue has escalated without adequate redressal. Over three months ago, representatives met with the water department to address the recurring water crisis in the 100X sectors. At the time, assurances were given, but no corrective measures have materialised on the ground.
Residents say the situation is further exacerbated by repeated power disruptions. In May alone, Ganga water supply was suspended multiple times due to damage to electrical infrastructure caused by storms. These interruptions, lasting between 48 and 60 hours, caused supply failures even before the current shutdown. Now, the pipeline repair has added another layer to an already vulnerable supply chain. A senior engineer from the water department confirmed that the repairs are essential and aimed at fixing leakages that, if left unaddressed, would cause far greater disruption in the long run. However, residents argue that the lack of communication, delayed notice, and absence of any buffer supply show an appalling lack of urban service planning.
Experts say that the city’s growing dependence on external water sources like the Ganga, without adequate local water resource development, is unsustainable. The current crisis underscores the urgent need for Noida to invest in decentralised water infrastructure — including rainwater harvesting, local reservoir creation, and revival of existing tubewell systems — all of which are in line with India’s broader urban sustainability goals. Urban planners also flag that with high-rise developments mushrooming across Noida, water demand has outpaced the city’s ageing water infrastructure. Most group housing societies rely entirely on Ganga water supply as groundwater levels continue to drop across western Uttar Pradesh. The lack of a long-term, climate-resilient water strategy is placing residents at increased risk of recurring crises.
The need of the hour, according to civic experts, is for Noida Authority to prioritise water equity. This includes developing sector-wise water balancing systems, introducing smart metering, and ensuring that under-represented neighbourhoods aren’t sidelined during emergencies. Equally critical is the adoption of non-discriminatory urban water policies that do not favour older, better-connected sectors over newer zones with denser populations. As the repair work on the Ganga pipeline continues, residents are left to scramble for alternatives. Water tankers, already in short supply, are being booked at inflated rates, adding to the financial burden of households already struggling with heatwave-induced energy costs.
There has been no official comment from Noida Authority on whether temporary relief measures will be introduced during the shutdown period. Until then, residents continue to cope through community-level arrangements, rationing water use, and voicing frustration on public platforms in the hope that sustainable solutions will follow. Noida’s water crisis is not merely a supply-side technical fault — it reflects the broader fragility of urban infrastructure when not backed by resilient planning. If the city aims to become a model for sustainable urbanisation, a systemic overhaul of its water management policies must begin now, before the next summer makes the current crisis seem routine.
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