Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced a full waiver on late payment surcharges for domestic water bills, covering dues worth more than Rs 11,000 crore. The scheme will remain open till January 31, 2026.
From February 1 to March 31, 2026, consumers will still get a 70% waiver on late payment charges.
Gupta said the aim is to ensure no household loses access to water because of unpaid dues or technical issues.
“Water bills are calculated every two months. Late payments attract compound interest, which often becomes a heavy burden. Under this new scheme, all such charges will be removed if consumers clear the main amount by the deadline,” she said.
Payments can be made online or at Delhi Jal Board offices. Consumers may pay in instalments, but the waiver will apply only after the full principal amount is paid.
How to avail the scheme
Online:
- Visit https://djb.gov.in
- Enter your KNO (unique consumer number)
- Pay using UPI, debit card, Bharat Bill Payment System, or NEFT/RTGS
Offline:
- Visit the nearest Zonal Revenue Office (ZRO)
- Carry Aadhaar card and last water bill
- Officials will assist with payments or instalment plans
- Special camps will be held in neighbourhoods
The government has also launched a Water and Sewer Connection Regularisation Scheme valid till January 31, 2026.
Under this, households with unauthorised connections can regularise them by paying a token penalty:
- Rs 1,000 for domestic connections (earlier Rs 25,000)
- Rs 5,000 for non-domestic connections (earlier Rs 61,000)
“Many people didn’t regularise their connections because of high penalties. This is their chance to correct that. After the deadline, disconnections will follow,” Gupta said.
Water Minister calls it “Diwali gift”
Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said the waiver is meant to help people get legal connections.
“This step may reduce revenue for the Jal Board, but it will benefit the public. It’s our Diwali gift to Delhi,” he said.
He added that the government is working to modernise billing systems, expand water access, and keep the Yamuna clean.
Pending dues criticism
Delhi Jal Board has total pending bills worth Rs 87,589 crore across all categories — domestic, government, and commercial. Of this, Rs 7,125 crore is the principal amount and Rs 80,463 crore (91%) is surcharge.
The Aam Aadmi Party criticised the move. Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said the scheme doesn’t address wrong bills issued during the Covid period.
On X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “The BJP government’s amnesty scheme doesn’t fix errors from the Corona period. People are being forced to pay for wrong bills.”
He said AAP had introduced a similar scheme in 2022 and offered to share that model with the current government.
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