‘Black, foul-smelling water’: Residents of 3 societies in Dwarka fall ill amid ‘contaminated supply’

He added that the apartment houses around 7,000 residents and around 34 have fallen sick, complaining of vomiting, skin allergies and diarrhoea. “My 24-year-old son has been complaining of diarrhoea for the last three days.”

Black water at Royal Green apartments in Sector 11, Pocket 3, Dwarka. (Express Photo)

Two other societies – Royal Green in Sector 11 Pocket 3 and Vyas Kunj in Pocket 2 — have flagged similar issues.

On Sunday, residents protested in front of the Akshardham apartment gate and at the square.

In 2023, a writ petition was filed by the Akshardham Apartments in the Delhi High Court on the issue. In November that year, the HC had ordered the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to carry out an inspection and undertake repair if any leaks or damages in the pipeline were found.

The civic body had submitted an affidavit stating that “all damaged connections have been changed or repaired”. However, the HC had directed it to carry out fresh inspections.

“We went to the HC… but still, the DJB did not do anything,” Mudgil claimed, adding that people are being forced to buy water every day.

Surendar Mehra, Treasurer of the Vyas Kunj apartment RWA, said the local MLA and DJB visited the flat and carried out an inspection, but were unable to spot the reason for contamination.

“The water board’s engineers dug up 2-3 spots to locate the leakage, but to no avail. We’re forced to use this water to bathe and wash clothes,” he said.

Rohit Oberoi, RWA President of Royal Green Apartments, said dirty water flows for 20-25 minutes before it clears slightly, but it still emits a foul odour.

“The underground reservoir across Akshardham Apartments supplies water to all three societies. Due to the recent rains, the drain overflowed, and leaks in the pipeline led to water contamination. Why hasn’t the DJB been able to detect the issue? They’re just using a hit-and-trial method,” he claimed, adding that 7–8 children have fallen ill.

Ramneek Reena, RWA President, Akshardham Apartments, said they have resorted to using chlorine tablets.

“What else can we do? The DDA, MCD, and DJB are all blaming each other. The drains, whether small or large, have not been desilted for a long time. After the rains, gutter water backflows and contaminates the supply,” she claimed.

The Indian Express contacted DJB officials for comment, but received no response.

Last week, residents of Vasant Kunj’s C-9 block alleged contamination in the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) water supply, with several families reporting cases of stomach infections, diarrhoea, and vomiting.

DJB officials, however, had dismissed claims of contamination from the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant, which supplies the area.