Water crisis hits south Delhi, residents suffer

NEW DELHI - Residents of working class areas of south Delhi Wednesday complained that they were facing “a terrible water crisis” for the past few days. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) however, claimed there was “adequate supply of water” in the city.

The water crisis is more in areas like Ambedkar Nagar, Khanpur and Sangam Vihar.

“The water crisis in parts of south Delhi is terrible. At times we have to make do with just a bucket of water. There are certain days where we buy water to take bath,” said Meera Chandra, a resident of Sangam Vihar.

The shortage of drinking water has given rise to private suppliers of water cans and water packets priced between Rs.1.50 to Rs.2.50 have been selling briskly.

Chandra, a teacher in a government run school, said that though she is able to buy water, others are not so fortunate. Those who cannot afford to buy water simply have to wait in long queues for the tankers to arrive.

“At times the crowds are so large that fights break out,” says Sardar Singh, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar.

Those who are lucky get some water from government and private tankers, but with soaring demand and large crowds, many find it difficult to get water, residents said.

Residents say that the supply of water through tankers is not enough for their colonies.

Vijay Jolly, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator accused Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of not managing the city’s water resources properly.

“People living in Outer Delhi villages and unauthorised colonies are suffering badly due to non-availability of water,” Jolly told IANS.

“The frequent power cuts have added to the woes as few apartment complexes get their water from an underground tank and due to the erratic power cuts their water pumps are not working,” Jolly added.

He also blamed the DJB for poor water management, delayed projects and water leakages in parts of the city.

The DJB, however, dismissed the allegations. “There is no water crisis. Adequate supply of water is available everywhere. In certain areas the tubewells might have some problems, otherwise the water supply is normal,” Siraj-ul-Hassan, a senior DJB official told IANS.

While another senior DJB official, pleading anonymity said that things are under control and water is supplied as per requirement. “As the state government is ruled by the Congress, BJP politicians are spreading rumours about water crisis,” the official said.

However, the officer admitted there were some minor power disruptions in parts of south Delhi which could have affected the water supply.