In heart of New Delhi, a long wait for tankers and daily fights — all for a bucket of water

As the temperature rises to dizzying heights this summer, access to water has especially become a luxury.

“Heart attack jaisa lagne lag jata hai, jaise hi tanki aati hai (It feels like I am having a heart attack when the water tanker arrives),” says 20-year-old Anjana, a resident of Vivekanand Colony.

A little after 1pm, the water tanker finally arrives and there is a sudden commotion. A few boys climb atop the tanker, which holds 10,000 litres of water, carrying pipes. People start fighting each other, pushing containers closer to the tanker, and jostling to climb on the tanker top. “The tanker never comes on time… These days it is so hot that one tank a day is just not enough for all of us. The tanker should come at least twice a day,” says Anjana. She has her final-year examination the next day, but this is a priority. “If there is no water, I won’t be able to even go to my college,” says the Maitreyi College student.

The driver of the tanker said that NDMC sends out five water tankers twice a day to cater to the needs of the entire area. “On this very spot (at the entrance of the slum cluster), we stop only once, around 1 pm,” he adds.

Pointing towards large black water storage tanks on each side of the entrance to the slum cluster, Anjana remarks: “They are only showpieces. There isn’t a single drop of water in them.”

As the jostling intensifies, the tanker trundles forward. Anjana pushes ahead of the line. “I need to run,” she says, leaving the conversation midway.

There is a method to fill the canisters with water, explains daily wage worker Naresh, 50.

“Every household here sends two people to fetch water. One climbs atop the tanker and sticks a pipe inside through the lid. The other, waiting downstairs with the canisters, sucks on the tip of the pipe with their mouth. And as soon as water starts to flow, they start filing the canisters,” he tells The Indian Express.

People here are amused at the Delhi government’s directive of imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 for wasting water. “Paani hi nahi hai toh waste kahan se hoga (Where is the water here to waste?),” asks Nirjala, 17, a school dropout.

These slum areas seem to have resigned to their fate of relying on tankers for water supply. “We tried everything to compel the government to start a normal supply here but failed,” says Nirjala as she points towards the British School building and remarks, “They have a proper water supply.”

Life here pretty much centres around water, or the lack of it.

“Our day begins by waiting for the tanker. Then we have to push, jostle to fill the canisters. This is no life. We can’t even plan anything for the day till we fetch water from the tanker,” says Nirjala.

The ongoing heatwave has led to substantial increase in water consumption, further aggravating the problem. “There are fights everyday,” says Anjana.

To prevent the fights, a guard has been sent with the water tanker this time. “This is my first day (of duty). How can a single person stop a fight between people here? Everyone is desperate to get water,” says the guard.

“We (the residents) cooperate with each other on everything. We share everything,” says Rajvati, a 40-year-old house wife. “Except water”.

A mother of four, Rajvati says worrying about water is an everyday affair. “I spend half my day reprimanding my kids and asking them not to waste water. We always have so little (water),” she adds.

Seven kilometres away, in upscale South Extension II, water is again scarce. But the people here don’t have to fight for a bucket from the NDMC tanker. “The demand for water has doubled this summer,” says 30-year-old Ramji, who supplies 20-litre water bottles across the colonies here. “Earlier, we would get orders for up to 2,000 litres, these days, our daily demand is 4,000 litres,” says Ramji, who works for a private water supply firm at Leela Ram market.

Resident Welfare Association president Mukesh Kohli says: “We live a comfortable life here. But with the temperature going up, we are also facing water problems. I get messages from at least 50 to 80 households every day complaining about the scarcity…We didn’t have any water supply for the last two days.”