Due to a lack of raw water, some areas of Delhi have experienced a supply shortage during the past few weeks.
Delhi’s water supply fell to its lowest point of the season on Sunday, 10% short of the 1,000 million gallons per day (mgd) target. This exacerbated the situation the Capital has been dealing with for almost two weeks. While this was going on, Atishi, the minister of water, wrote to Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora to request that police officers be stationed near major pipelines in the city for the next fifteen days. She also claimed that the BJP was planning to damage the main pipeline in an attempt to worsen the situation.
The Aam Aadmi Party government’s failure, according to the BJP, is what caused the water crisis in Delhi, rejecting the accusations.
Against the goal supply of 1,000 mgd, the supply fell to 901 mgd on Sunday. Due to a lack of raw water, some areas of Delhi have experienced a supply shortage during the past few weeks. To discourage unauthorized tanker operators, police have been stationed along the Munak Canal, which transports raw water from Haryana to Delhi.
According to Atishi, a significant leak was discovered by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) patrol teams near Garhi Mandu in the south Delhi rising main pipeline.
“It was discovered during the investigation that someone had cut five 375mm bolts and one 12-inch bolt. This water pipeline needed to be repaired in six hours. About 25% less water reached south Delhi today as a result of the repair work, which was done from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., the minister stated.
Three-way plot, according to Atishi
Atishi claimed during a press conference on Sunday that the BJP is involved in a three-pronged plot against Delhi.
“First, the BJP’s Haryana government is cutting off Delhi’s water supply. The second plot involves the destruction of pipelines. How is it that BJP leaders go to damaged pipelines to have their picture shot every day? and provide the media with bytes. Thirdly, she claimed that BJP goons engaged in overtly arrogant behavior, vandalized the DJB office, and flung stones and earthen pots.
Minister writes Chief of Delhi Police
The minister wrote to Sanjay Arora, the commissioner of Delhi Police, stating that Delhi is experiencing a severe heatwave together with a water problem. She noted that in order to support this activity, the DJB has sent out patrol teams for the primary water distribution network as well as teams supervised by ADMs.
For the next fifteen days, she requested that police be sent in to guard Delhi’s main pipes and stop “miscreants or people with ulterior motives” from interfering with them. “Our patrolling team discovered that the leak was caused by bolts that had been cut from the pipeline.” The letter stated, “The fact that multiple sizable bolts had been cut suggests foul play and sabotage.”
Arora was contacted by HT, however he did not reply to messages asking for remarks.
25% less supplies from South Delhi
Water from the Sonia Vihar water treatment facility in east Delhi is transported to south Delhi via the main pipeline in south Delhi. The Upper Ganga Canal provides raw water for the facility, which typically supplies 143 mgd of water to south and east Delhi. However, the summer bulletin sent by DJB on Sunday states that it only pumped 122 mgd.
Similarly, due to limited raw water availability, the Wazirabad WTP, which takes water from Yamuna, only supplied 82 mgd of water against the daily target of 134 mgd. Against the 241 mgd objective, DJB’s largest WTP, located in Haiderpur, which is fed by Munak and DSB canals, produced 220 mgd of water. The combined effect resulted in the lowest supply of the season.
When the city’s WTPs experienced a power outage on June 12 at 919.7 mgd, the previous low mark was recorded.
The water supply levels were 958.26 mgd, 919.70 mgd (blackout-related power disruptions), 951 mgd, 939.75 mgd, 934 mgd, and 901 mgd between June 11 and June 16. The Delhi administration, led by the Aam Aadmi Party, has accused Haryana of being the cause of the shortage in raw water supplies. The Haryana government has denied this claim, claiming that Delhi is attempting to cover up “its failures.”
One of the neighborhoods most severely affected on Sunday was the Vasant Kunj district, which is situated at the terminus of the Sonia Vihar supply line. “Water is supplied to other nearby reservoirs by our underground reservoir located in the B1 sector. On Saturday, the main UGR was not able to be filled. On Sunday, at around ten in the morning, we began to receive some water. The head of the federation Vasant Kunj residents’ welfare associations, Rajesh Panwar, stated that there is insufficient water availability and that DJB is unable to supply tankers in an adequate manner.
The water supply at the Greater Kailash 2 RWA was also affected, according to Sanjay Rana, general secretary. Senior DJB officials told the RWA that there were problems with the supply valves and that the supply to GK 2 and other colonies was scheduled to begin on Saturday night. But the shortfall persisted since the supply was unable to reach the GK 2 overhead tanks.
The problems with the supply valves at GK 2 from yesterday have been fixed. Issues have now been fixed, according to Rana.
BJP accuses Delhi government
Virender Sachdeva, the head of the Delhi BJP, accused the Delhi administration of being “corrupt” and attributed the problem to it. “Once this corrupt government is overthrown, people will get relief.” Water theft and waste are the reasons they don’t have access to water,” Sachdeva stated.
AAP MLAs also set up camp at Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil’s home, urging the federal government to get involved in the situation.
There were also accused vandals at the DJB office in the Chhatarpur region, who were BJP activists. When someone is angry, they are capable of anything. I give thanks to the BJP employees who kept the populace under control. It belongs to both the people and the government. There’s nothing to gain from ruining this land. “I implore individuals to refrain from defacing public property,” stated BJP leader and former MP Ramesh Bidhuri.