India, Jan. 23 -- The Capital's water crisis worsened on Thursday with six of its nine major water treatment plants were rendered either non-functional or operating at a fraction of their capacity. The failure has left swathes of Delhi - particularly in the city' s north, northwest, west, southwest and central regions - with dry taps and threatens shortages that could extend into early February.

The crisis stems from two concurrent issues: dangerously high levels of ammonia in the Yamuna have forced two critical plants to halt operations, while simultaneous repair work on the Munak Canal in Haryana has drastically reduced the raw water supply to four other facilities. Only three plants - fed by the Upper Ganga Canal from Uttar Pradesh - ...