Up to 90%: Delhi Jal Board plans massive waiver on unpaid water bills

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The Delhi government is set to launch a major bill waiver scheme, slashing pending domestic water bills by up to 90%, cabinet minister Parvesh Verma announced on Monday. The move comes as outstanding dues continue to mount, with Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials confirming that unpaid bills have risen since June 2023, when 1.17 million consumers owed Rs 5,737 crore, HT reported.

The UT has 2.89 million water connections, of which around 422,000 saw unpaid bills in the last year alone, according to an April DJB report. The waiver’s specifics, including how the government will ensure fairness for those who have consistently paid their bills, remain unclear, as Verma did not elaborate on the scheme’s fine print, as per HT.

The issue of unpaid water bills has long been contentious in Delhi. In June 2023, the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government proposed a "one-time settlement scheme" for consumers with arrears, but bureaucratic hurdles stalled its implementation. During the 2025 election campaign, AAP had again promised to waive inflated bills if re-elected.

DJB has introduced multiple rebate schemes and five amnesties over the past 12 years, yet the backlog persists. At a press conference marking the BJP-led government’s first 100 days in office, Verma said the billing system itself is being overhauled. “The billing system is also going to be updated, software for this is being developed and there are some technical issues that are being worked out,” he noted, quoted HT.

Alongside the waiver, the government plans to roll out an integrated control system - “One City, One Control Room, One Number" - to streamline responses to water-related complaints. Verma also highlighted efforts to curb illegal water tapping and rationalise distribution based on constituency populations.

A new sewer master plan is in the works and global tenders will be floated soon. The government has pledged to provide sewer lines to all 1,800 unauthorised colonies by 2027, a first-of-its-kind commitment with a fixed deadline, HT reported.

On flood prevention, Verma was reported as saying that 35% of Public Works Department (PWD) drains have been desilted, with the remainder targeted by June 15. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department has cleared 1.5 million metric tonnes of silt from major drains, while encroachments are being removed to ensure smooth water flow during monsoon. Additionally, 156 new posts have been sanctioned to bolster manpower.