Politics muddies Defence Colony water

NEW DELHI, June 23: For every second car that stands in the front yard of Defence Colony residents, there is a well in the back yard. So,...

NEW DELHI, June 23: For every second car that stands in the front yard of Defence Colony residents, there is a well in the back yard. So, though there is enough money to flaunt about there generally isn8217;t enough water to splash in.

But, refusing to sit silently and suffer, well-heeled residents of Defence Colony have taken matters into their own hand. While the respective governments of Delhi and Haryana bicker and fight, they have switched to ground water.

Says Lt Col Harnam Singh, an office bearer of the area8217;s residents welfare association: 8220;If the government can8217;t provide the basic necessities, we shall have to fend for ourselves. With water supply limited to an hour or so in the morning and the evening, that too at low pressure, every second home has gone in for a tubewell or a boring well.8221;

That south Delhi has the highest number of wells, is supplemented by the Central Ground Water Board CGWB. Says Dr S.B. Singh, of the CGWB: 8220;We have recieved around 10,000 applications from south Delhi residents who want to register their tubewells or boring wells. Though our registration drive was mandatory, everyone has not gone in for it. South Delhi has the highest number of wells and we feel that there are more than 15,000 residents who have yet to get them registered.8221;

Of course as a consequence, the water table has gone down considerably. S.K. Malhotra, another resident, who has a tubewell, says: 8220;Well, earlier the residents just had to dig 50 feet into the ground but recently, when we installed our tubewell, we had to go down to 100 feet. The way the colony is growing, I am sure in a couple of years or so, our tubewell will be redundant and we would have to go further down.8221;

Holding the government squarely responsible for the problem, P.K. Rais says: 8220;The major problem is caused by online boosters which have been installed by residents. They suck all the water and others suffer. Everyone knows it is against the law, but water is a necessity. The government has reduced us to common thieves. It is their responsibility to provide adequate water supply to all residents.8221;pThe residents point out that increasing commercialisation and the conversion of houses into flats have led to the water shortage in Defence Colony. But, Delhi Jal Board officers say it is the lack of infrastructure which is now telling on south Delhi. An officer said, 8220;All the water treatment plants are located in east or west Delhi. The Nangloi Water Treatment Plant, which would have solved our problems, was supposed to be commissioned in October last year.8221; The 40 MGD plant would have taken care of the needs of most of south Delhi. However, the Haryana government has refused to release the water.