This summer the railway passengers can hope to get adequate water supply in the booths and taps at the railways stations as well as on board. The railways have chalked out a detailed plan to strengthen water supply at the three important stations in the capital – New Delhi, Old Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin.

If things shape up according to the plans, water supply arrangement for platform washing, carriage watering and cleaning of carriages will also improve.

To cater to the needs of thousands of passengers traveling daily, eight filter plants, each with a capacity of 50 kilo litre per hour, have been installed in the periphery of the New Delhi station. Two of them are on the Ajmeri Gate side and the remaining on the Paharganj side, a senior railway officer told Governance Now.

Water is filtered through these plants and then chlorinated through electronic chlorinators installed near the plants. This water is pumped into overhead water tanks and then supplied to water booths, the office building and other spots at the station. Moreover, the railways already have a ranny well (a well that has a centre caisson with horizontal perforated pipes extending radially into an aquifer, particularly applicable to the development of thin aquifers at shallow depths) near the Yamuna bank. A pipeline is connected from this well to the station for supply of water.

Further, a special water train with as many as five tank wagons of 35,000 litre capacity each is operated between the New Delhi and Old Delhi stations. Water in wagons is filled at New Delhi and taken to Old Delhi for supply. This arrangement adds 2-3,00,000 litres of water per day. Plus, the arrangement of water supply through the ranny well will be made for Old Delhi too. In 2010-11 railway budget, Rs 10 crore have been sanctioned for construction of wells and laying of pipelines for the Old Delhi station.

This work is expected to be completed before next summer. “Till now the Delhi Jal Board is supplying 70 percent of water at Old Delhi and the rest is met out by multiple tube wells of railways. But this arrangement is not able to meet out passengers’ demand. With the ranny well the situation is expected to improve a lot,” said the officer.

Moreover, Rs 4.8 crore have been sanctioned for a connecting pipeline between the Old Delhi to New Delhi stations. Water can be transported from either end as per the requirement. Construction Organisation of the railways has been given this work and this system will start functioning by next winter.

Also for supply at the Nizamuddin station, a ranny well has been constructed near the Yamuna bank. Filter plants will also be installed in the next 10 days. Water from the well will be filtered through this plant and supplied at the Nizamuddin station.

What’s more, valves along railway tracks used for supplying water on trains will be automated. This will help reduce water wastage and improve service. There will be a panel at one end of the station and from there men will operate the system. Out of 52 valves at the New Delhi station, one has already been automated and the rest at this station and the other two stations will be automated in another one year.