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DJB launches e-KYC drive as government extends regularisation and bill waiver deadlines

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) is facing a major challenge in curbing illegal water connections across the national capital, with officials estimating that a large number of consumers continue to draw water without valid connections. Notably, Delhi has approximately 70 lakh electricity connections, while the number of registered water connections stands at around 30 lakh. Although several areas of the capital are still without piped drinking water facilities, officials said that even after accounting for these unserved areas, there remains a significant gap between electricity and water connections, indicating widespread unauthorised water use.

To address the issue, the Delhi government had launched a scheme in October last year to regularise illegal water connections. Under the scheme, consumers can get their unauthorised connections regularised by paying a fee of just Rs 1,000. However, the response has so far been limited, with only 3,544 consumers availing themselves of the facility.

In an effort to identify unauthorised connections and improve the accuracy of its consumer database, the DJB has recently launched an e-KYC campaign. Officials said the exercise aims to complete e-KYC of all water consumers in Delhi within the next six months. The process is expected to help the authorities identify consumers with illegal connections and bring them into the formal water supply network.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has extended the deadline for regularising illegal water connections from August 15, 2026, to March 31, 2027, giving consumers additional time to avail themselves of the scheme.

The government has also extended the Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) waiver scheme for water bills until March 31, 2027. So far, 5.15 lakh domestic consumers and 15,796 commercial consumers have benefited from the scheme, generating around Rs 743 crore in revenue for the DJB.

Around 11 lakh consumers are currently estimated to have outstanding water bills. However, officials acknowledge that a sizeable number of consumers have been unable to take advantage of the LPSC waiver scheme because of unresolved billing discrepancies and errors.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is working on a new system to make water metering more efficient and accountable. The system, she said, is aimed at ensuring that consumers receive accurate bills within the stipulated time and that the billing process becomes more transparent.

The government’s efforts are therefore focused on two parallel challenges—bringing unauthorised water connections into the formal network and addressing long-standing billing and metering problems. Officials believe that the e-KYC exercise, coupled with improved metering and billing systems, will provide the DJB with a more accurate picture of water consumption in the city and help strengthen revenue collection.