Problems galore at Munak Canal
New Delhi, July 15 -- Early on July 11 last year, residents of Bawana in northwest Delhi awoke to a scene of chaos. A river seemed to have erupted overnight, flooding streets and seeping knee-deep into homes. A 40-foot section of the Delhi Sub Branch (DSB) of the Munak Canal had collapsed near the Hanuman Mandir. It was the third such breach in just two years, and it laid bare a growing crisis in Delhi's primary water supply system.
Repair teams were rushed in, but for three to four days, water supply remained disrupted in vast parts of the Capital, including Haiderpur, Bawana, Nangloi, and Dwarka. Since then, two more breaches have been reported near Barwasni village in Sonipat, even as water stress in the city continues to deepen. The 102-kilometre Munak Canal, which ferries nearly 37% of the Capital's raw water, has become increasingly vulnerable-crumbling in places, leaking in others, and plagued by theft and encroachments.
A year later, the scars of the 2023 breach remain visible. A few metres from the Hanuman Mandir, Md Shoib stands on a makeshift iron bridge over the canal, pointing to a jagged crack along the concrete wall. "Plastic sheets have been placed to slow the seepage, but there are many such points," he said. "We warned authorities last year too. Nobody listened."
Built between 2003 and 2012 as part of the Western Yamuna Canal system, the Munak Canal conveys over 1,000 cusecs of Yamuna water daily to Delhi via two offshoots-the Carrier Line Channel (CLC) and the DSB. But over the last two years, three major breaches (June 2023, October 2023, and July 2024) have exposed a fragile network ill-equipped to handle rising demand.
A spot check by HT along the stretch from Harewali border to Haiderpur on June 25 revealed widespread disrepair. Vegetation overran the poorly maintained canal, concrete lining was missing in sections, and multiple cracks were visible. Despite being a critical infrastructure asset, upkeep appeared negligible.
An April 2024 report submitted by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to Delhi assembly confirmed that Delhi is losing a significant amount of water during transmission-up to 30% along DSB. "The Munak Canal bifurcates into the CLC and DSB before entering Delhi. While CLC loses about 5% of water, the DSB's loss is far higher - 30%," DJB stated. Both segments are under Haryana's jurisdiction, and a proposal has been sent to the state to help reduce the losses.
Every summer, when taps run dry, the Munak Canal reappears in public debate. Delhi's nine water treatment plants together supply around 1,000mgd (million gallons per day) against a peak summer demand of 1,250mgd. The deficit-about 250mgd-often triggers a scramble for resources, drawing attention to every vulnerability in the supply chain.
During a spot check along the canal's length on June 25, HT found five private water tankers stationed near the canal between Hanuman Mandir and Harewali. Sultan Singh, a local resident, pointed to the water being siphoned off using pumps. "This happens every morning. The tankers are just a call away," he said.
Despite its importance, the canal is neither fenced nor walled for most of its route. The section near Bawana-Narela has become an open dumping ground. Delhi may be officially declared "open defecation free", but along the canal, the reality is starkly different. "People use the embankments for defecation because there aren't enough toilets," said Nagma, a resident of the Bawana JJ Cluster. "You can't even walk near the canal without stepping into filth."
A 2019 DJB project sanctioned Rs.6.3 crore to build a boundary wall along Bawana and Sector 18 in Rohini. But locals say it never materialised.
The Munak Canal's story is one of long delays, inter-state wrangling, and repeated breakdowns. The canal starts from the Munak regulator in Karnal, Haryana, and flows south via Khubru and Mandora barrages before ending at Haiderpur in Delhi. The initial memorandum of understanding between Haryana and Delhi was signed in 1996. But political disputes delayed the canal's lining with concrete until 2012-an upgrade meant to reduce seepage and save around 80 million gallons per day.
In February 2016, during the Jat reservation agitation, the canal's flow was blocked for days. It took the Indian Army's intervention to restore supply, highlighting how exposed Delhi's water security is to disruptions upstream.
Today, the canal still lacks basic protection. Barbed wire or security posts are absent in most sections. Theft, illegal tapping, and encroachments continue unchecked.
According to the Economic Survey 2024, Delhi receives its water from multiple sources: 389mgd from the Yamuna, 253mgd from the Ganga, and 221mgd from the Ravi-Beas via the Bhakra system. The Yamuna water reaches Delhi primarily through the Munak system. But the Bhakra canal, too, merges with the Western Yamuna Canal, bringing water from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Earlier this year, Delhi accused Punjab of curtailing the Bhakra supply-an allegation that added to the region's already complex water politics. Officials warned that disruptions at either end-supply from Haryana or inflow from Punjab-could push the city into a deeper crisis.
Thirteen years after it was constructed, the revival and next stage of development of the Munak Canal has again been under spotlight over the last few months with government planning to improve its management, cover it with solar panel and develop recreational community spaces along it.
In April, Delhi's water minister Parvesh Verma announced a major intervention: a Rs.300-crore project to install an 11-km, 2,400mm conduit linking the Munak Canal at Haiderpur to the Wazirabad barrage.
This pipeline is designed to bypass the ammonia-contaminated Yamuna stretch and ensure cleaner raw water reaches Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant when needed.
On July 6, following an inspection, Verma announced that government plans to cover the Munak Canal with solar panels for which a planning and feasibility assessment is underway.
On July 10, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta stated that her government wishes to take over the maintenance of the Munak Canal, improve the surrounding areas of the canal to enable more effective religious and cultural events.
As part of Delhi's broader development vision, the plan includes constructing a 20km elevated corridor above the Munak Canal on a Rs.3,000 crore outlay to boost connectivity of the Outer Delhi areas with Outer Ring Road.
Environmental activist Diwan Singh, who has worked on restoring multiple water bodies and Yamuna rejuvenation, said: "Munak's lined canal was built to save water losses due to seepage. The additional water proved to be a vital resource for several areas in Delhi. After almost 1.5 decades, the canal needs maintenance and repair. Solar panels and elevated corridors are secondary."...
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