The escalating water crisis in Delhi has disrupted the system. The intense heatwave and rising temperatures have increased the demand for water. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that even tankers are unable to provide adequate water supply, causing severe difficulties for the people. Some have even moved to their villages due to the shortage of water. Sharifa Khatoon, a resident of Vivekananda Camp in the posh Chanakyapuri area, says, “Life has become miserable due to the water shortage. The tanker supplies water for only 5 minutes, whereas we need at least 15 minutes of water.”
Similar to Vivekananda Camp, residents of areas where water supply pipelines have not yet been laid are facing significant difficulties. In Patel Nagar constituency, areas like East Patel Nagar, Nehru Vihar, Gayatri Colony, and Punjabi Basti are struggling with water shortages because 60-65 tankers are needed for the entire area, but only 44 tankers are providing service.
721 tankers supplying water through the Jal Board
According to the Jal Board, there are some areas in informal settlements and villages where water supply pipelines have not been laid, such as parts of Burari constituency. In these areas facing water supply issues or lacking pipelines, a total of 31 tankers have been deployed. The highest number of tankers have been deployed in Bawana constituency because it has a large number of rural areas and the pipelines have not yet been laid there. Across 70 constituencies, the Jal Board is supplying water through its 176 tankers and 721 hired tankers.
Situation critical in Central Delhi too
In Central Delhi, Patel Nagar is a constituency where water supply pipelines have not yet been laid in many colonies. Areas like Punjabi Basti, Rajasthani Colony, Gayatri Colony, and Nehru Vihar receive daily water supply through tankers. There are a total of 44 tankers for water supply, but the demand for tankers is much higher.
Water crisis in Lutyens’ Delhi as well
Lutyens’ Delhi is also facing a water crisis, affecting areas like Bengali Market, Ashoka Road, Harichand Mathur Lane, Copernicus Marg, Purana Qila Road, Babar Road, Barakhamba, KG Marg, Windsor Place, Feroz Shah Road, and Canning Lane. According to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the reason is that water supply from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to the underground reservoirs (UGRs) at Tilak Marg and Bengali Market has reduced by about 40%.
According to NDMC, DJB has stated that due to the unavailability of raw water, the Wazirabad water plant is not able to produce potable water at full capacity. Therefore, water supply in the command areas of Tilak Marg UGR and Bengali Market UGR will be available once a day, possibly in the morning.
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Every summer, these areas face a water crisis:
North-West Delhi: Bawana, Narela, parts of Rohini, Karol Bagh, Bapanagar, Anand Parbat, Faridpuri.
West Delhi: Uttam Nagar, Janakpuri, Vikaspuri, Moti Nagar, Sangam Park in Lalbagh under Chandni Chowk constituency.
North-East Delhi: Parts of Karawal Nagar and Mustafabad, Mukherjee Nagar.
South Delhi: Khanpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Mehrauli, some sectors of Vasant Kunj, Savitri Camp in Kusumpur Pahadi.
East Delhi: Block-8, Geeta Colony, Krishna Nagar, Shahdara, parts of Dilshad Garden, and Mayur Vihar.