Over Rs 1.4 lakh crore in pending water bills has accumulated at the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), officials have said. Of this, the domestic consumers owe the board Rs 15,000 crore, while a bigger chunk of the dues, Rs 66,000 crore, is owed by commercial users, with an additional Rs 63,000 crore due from various government departments – both Delhi and the Centre. 

Among the list of defaulters, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) tops the list, owing Rs 26,147 crore. Within central government bodies, Indian Railways is the biggest defaulter with  dues of Rs 21,530.5 crore, followed closely by the Delhi Police, which has not cleared bills amounting to Rs 6,097 crore.

In total, Delhi government departments collectively owe for Rs 33,295.79 crore in unpaid water bills, while central government agencies contribute with another Rs 29,723.37 crore in pending dues.  

“This isn’t just a delay, it’s crippling our ability to maintain and upgrade basic infrastructure,” a senior official told NDTV, adding, “Despite repeated reminders, the recoveries have been minimal.”

Some departments have relatively managed to stay current on their water bills

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has comparatively lesser dues of Rs 1.4 crore, while the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) owes Rs 1.1 crore.