‘We get water once in 2-3 days, but it’s not drinkable’: Across Delhi, why water is a key poll issue

Around 18 km away in North Delhi’s Burari, Shaligram Gupta, Rama Shankar Tripathi and Prahlad Singh buy water cans, each costing Rs 20, for their daily consumption as supply in their locality is “irregular and contaminated”. “We get water once in two-three days, but it is not drinkable… only sometimes it is clean,“ they complain.

With the Lok Sabha election in Delhi three days away — and temperatures soaring to as high as 47 degrees Celsius in some parts — irregular water supply and its quality are top issues for those living in JJ clusters, slums and unauthorised colonies. Many households are forced to rely on tankers or buy cans to meet their daily needs. Often, tempers flare and fights break out over the precious resource. Only last month, in Northeast Delhi’s Shahdara, a 34-year-old woman was stabbed to death following a quarrel over using water from a community tap.

The Capital depends on neighbouring states to meet around 90% of its drinking water demands. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) gets raw water from four sources: 389 MGD (million gallons per day) from the Yamuna river; 253 MGD from the Ganga; 221 MGD from the Ravi-Beas river; and 90 MGD from groundwater. The water is then treated before distribution. Water from all these sources, however, amounts to 953 MGD, falling short of the city’s estimated demand of 1,380 MGD.

The DJB’s ‘Summer Action Plan 2024’ states that “production of about 1,000 MGD of potable water is targeted to be achieved during the summer by optimising all resources”.

According to the Economic Survey of Delhi (2023-24), 93.5% of households in Delhi have been connected to piped water supply by the DJB through a 15,473-km-long pipeline network supplying 1,000 million gallons per day (MGD) to a population of 21.5 million in summers. The report also states that the Delhi government has been able to provide regular water supply to under-served areas and has covered 97% of unauthorised colonies, adding that the remaining unauthorised colonies will also be covered soon.

In 2013, the Delhi government launched round-the-clock water supply as a pilot project which has covered only parts of Malviya Nagar, Vasant Vihar and Nangloi in the years since. Last year, ex-DJB vice-chairman Somnath Bharti had said a new consultant was being appointed to extend the project across the city.

‘Not fit to drink’

In some areas, the supply of water itself isn’t the only issue, but also its quality.

Rakesh Choudhary, a resident of East Delhi’s Shakarpur, claims, “The water is black and smelly like it’s being supplied straight out of sewer lines… You can’t drink it… we can’t even store it or use it for other purposes.”

Water is supplied in the area around 5 am for two hours.

A helper at a tailoring shop earning Rs 12,000, Choudhary adds that despite their low income, his family of five has to buy bottled water for their daily chores. “We have to buy at least two big water jars costing Rs 50 each per day… spending around Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 per month on water… that’s a significant sum for poor people like me…,” he says.

In Southwest Delhi’s Naraina Vihar, Suraj (40) complains about the water quality at his home. “Forget drinking, we can’t even bathe with the supplied water,” he claims. “Though visibly clean, the water is very hard, even soap doesn’t foam easily.”

A visit to Southwest Delhi’s Masoodpur village revealed another issue with the water supply — leakage in pipes. “Only half the supplied water reaches our taps, the rest is wasted due to leaking pipelines…,” says a government employee who lives in the urban village. He claims it takes several complaints to fix these leakages.

To deal with the issue, the DJB installed flowmeters, devices that measure the water pressure in pipelines and in turn, provide information on the quantity of water supplied, across the capital.

Some families have no extra money to buy even a water can.

Kiran, a sweeper living in Central Delhi’s Motia Khan, has been saving “penny after penny to support her children’s education”. “Only we know how we survive, doing odd jobs like cleaning and picking garbage to support our family…”

She says even though “the water is non-potable”, her family has no other option but to consume it. “We often fall sick as a result but what else can we do?” she asks.