New Delhi, May 30 -- As Delhi's raw water shortage stretched into another day on Thursday, data from a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Delhi assembly earlier this year showed that low water levels at Wazirabad have been a recurring problem for years. The report, titled "Functioning of the Delhi Jal Board", found that water levels at the barrage remained below the designated mark for 494 days - or 27% of the period between 2017 and 2022 - largely during summer months. Despite repeated legal and political disputes between Delhi and Haryana over water sharing, no permanent solution has emerged. The CAG noted that for the smooth functioning of Delhi's largest water treatment plants (WTPs) at Wazirabad and Chandrawal, Haryana must maintain the Wazirabad pond level at 674.5 feet above sea level by releasing additional water from the Tajewala and Hathnikund barrages during summer. "As a result, Chandrawal and Wazirabad WTPs did not operate to their full capacity," the report said. It added that both the Delhi and Haryana governments needed to take necessary steps to maintain adequate water levels at Wazirabad. The two treatment plants, among Delhi Jal Board's nine WTPs, source raw water primarily from the Yamuna along with diversions from the Carrier Lined Channel (CLC). Wazirabad supplies around 134 million gallons per day (MGD) to north, northwest and central Delhi, while Chandrawal supplies nearly 100 MGD to New Delhi, central and west Delhi. Officials said the situation worsened sharply on Thursday, with the Wazirabad barrage effectively running dry. "There is heavy silt accumulation at the base of the barrage holding area. Once the water level falls below 668ft, as it has now, there is hardly any usable water left for lifting. Channels are being dug in the riverbed to draw whatever silt-mixed water remains," a senior official said. The official added that temporary channels had been dug to divert water from deeper sections of the river towards the Sonia Vihar intake points where treatment plants draw water. According to officials, the water level has dropped steadily from 669.8ft on May 24 to just above 668ft, nearing the historic low of 667ft in July 2021. A second official said the annual crisis could only be resolved either through increased raw water allocation to Delhi or completion of three long-pending upstream dam projects - the Lakhwar dam on the Yamuna in Uttarakhand, the Renukaji dam on the Giri river in Himachal Pradesh, and the Kishau dam on the Tons river on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border....