- Out of the pending Rs 1.4 lakh crore, commercial users owe Rs 66,000 crore, domestic consumers Rs 15,000 crore
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi owes Rs 26,147 crore to the Delhi Jal Board, becoming the largest defaulter
- Water Minister plans recovery push with notices and meetings for repayments
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.
However, the problem goes well beyond government offices. According to DJB data, commercial users collectively owe Rs 66,000 crore in dues, while domestic consumers are behind by Rs 15,000 crore.
Water Minister Pravesh Verma said the government is gearing up for a major recovery push. "Notices will soon be issued to all the defaulter departments, both at the state and central level, to clear their dues," Mr Verma said.
"The recovery plan will include high-level meetings with department heads, especially those with large pending bills, to discuss repayment timelines or instalment options," the water minister added.
Officials say that unless the dues are cleared, especially from top government defaulters, planned upgrades, maintenance work, and expansion of essential infrastructure could come to a halt.
