Crisis worsens at Delhi’s Gulmohar Park, water contamination spreads across several lanes

Local MLA Satish Upadhyay – also the DJB vice-chairman – had earlier told The Indian Express that possible contamination sources included illegal makeshift toilets set up during construction activity behind some houses and an old pipeline near a drain close to Gate 2 that had not been properly sealed.

Officials said the DJB later shifted focus to one of the colony’s primary inlet zones after localised corrective measures failed to resolve the issue. They added that excavation near an earlier cave-in site revealed stagnant contaminated water, which could lead to sewage ingress into old pipelines through damaged joints and seepage points.

Premsingh Dhingra (85), a resident, said he and his wife had both fallen ill. “The water was very dirty. But we had been using RO for years, so we continued using the water to brush our teeth and take bath… I developed diarrhoea and had to be hospitalised,” he said.

His 78-year-old wife, diagnosed with typhoid, is still in the hospital. “The water is still dirty and smelly. We are staying at our daughter’s place in Uday Park till the situation is fixed at Gulmohar Park. So many of my neighbours and acquaintances are sick,” he said.

Another resident, Nitin Mantri, said the issue has affected many people in his household. “My mother has been unwell with diarrhoea. Our domestic help and my sister have also fallen sick,” he said.

Residents said the crisis, which began last month in parts of Gulmohar Park, has triggered a severe water supply problem. With households shutting off DJB connections or draining underground tanks, demand for water tankers has increased.

Dr Savitri Singh, vice-president of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA), said the RWA has had to prepare a roster to regulate requests for tankers. “A family is getting tanker supply after a minimum of two days since they requested for the same,” she said.

According to residents, while DJB tankers are free, private suppliers are charging around Rs 5,000 per tanker.

Singh also said that tanker access itself has become a challenge for several homes. “Those who have built tanks behind their homes cannot be reached by the DJB tanker hose. Some do not have underground tanks. Reaching terrace tanks are also an issue. One resident has even bought a new hose pipe and donated it to the RWA,” she said.

She said supply is being rationed, with around 1,000 litres being provided to one household. Also, only around 40 to 50 houses – Gulmohar Park has over 900 households – get water in a day.

“Everybody is buying Bisleri. Earlier, we could order online and get it the next day. Now, no nearby shop has it. I know somebody who even bathed using Bisleri water. Some families have started sending children to relatives’ homes,” Singh added.

She maintained that at least 30-40% of the residents are sick. “In every house, somebody is sick.”

Residents said some homes are receiving no water at all, while others continue to receive contaminated supply. Households that were earlier getting clean water have now started reporting foul smell after DJB undertook repair and excavation work, they added.

“DJB officials have dug up roads in many places. The issue is shifting from one part of the colony to another. It is a total mess. It has been around 10 days at least and we are yet to receive a water testing report though samples have been taken from several places,” Singh said.

Subrat Birla, another resident, said residents were losing hope of an early resolution. “The DJB seems clueless about the source of contamination even after 10 days. Every second household has cases of diarrhoea or water-borne disease. Only two water tankers are serving over 900 households and even those are erratic,” he added.

Rajiv Chandra, a resident, said DJB teams had dug up multiple areas but had still not been able to fully resolve the problem. “For one week, they have been digging. Some homes, which were getting clean water are now receiving contaminated supply,” he added.