Protests over Delhi water crisis, DJB says supplying more than capacity

The women in Vikashpuri area of New Delhi staged a protest against the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and MLA Mahendra Yadav over the prevailing water crisis. In response, the DJB said that it is supplying more water than its capacity.

New Delhi:With the temperature soaring in the national capital, several areas in the city are facing severe water crisis. The worst hit are the unauthorized colonies including Vikashpuri and Burari, which have very lesser piped water coverage.

The women of the Vikashpuri area staged a protest on Sunday against the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and MLA Mahendra Yadav and claimed that they had filed several complaints with the board and the MLA, but in vain.

Puja Chauhan, one of the protesters, claimed that community taps installed in their colony are either dry or just supply water for a couple of hours.

Residents complain that they have to walk several kilometers in the scorching sun to get water to meet their daily needs. "I have to walk for over eight km every day in the afternoon to get water for daily chores. The supply water only comes for an hour or two in the afternoon, that too not daily," said 50-year-old Kamla, a resident of Vikashpuri.

The city has been facing an acute water shortage ever since the summer kicked in. The residents of other areas also complained of significant reduction in water supply.

The Delhi government, however, said its water treatment plants are running at full capacity. "Currently, the country is facing acute water crisis and all reservoirs have dried up. Delhi is supplying more water than its capacity," said vice-chairman of Delhi Jal Board, Dinesh Mohaniya.

He further said the water production in the national capital has been increased from 830 MGD to 936 MGD and the DJB pipelines have connected 600 unauthorized colonies in Vikashpuri, Najafgarh, Bijwasan, Devli and others for the first time.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the power and water woes being faced by the people in the city.