Manasa Maddila & Ashwanth Vidhya, Mumbai Uncensored, 24th June 2021.
Every drop counts in the national capital. As Delhi gradually emerges from a severe wave of COVID-19 infection, a water crisis has hit some areas. Pictures of residents crowding around the tanker without social distancing and some not wearing masks went viral. The lack of water can also become detrimental in the fight against COVID, as it can lead to hygiene issues and could lead for one to get affected with the virus and other diseases.
Lieutenant governor Anil Baikal has been examining the current water shortage in the capital. Concerned about the scarcity of water in New Delhi mainly in Jhuggi colonies, he has communicated to the CMs of the neighbouring states—Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and has asked for reports from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
One side of water shortage is leakage, wastage and its unequal distribution among the populace. Recently we heard about the detection of water leakage in the Northwest metro pillar, Pitampura. The water was flooding the service road and was going into the drain. The other reason fuelling the shortage is the rapid growth of algae in Yamuna River.
The DJB’s water supply has reduced by 60-65 million gallons a day due to severe shortage of raw water from Haryana. According to official figures, water supply in the National Capital has fallen short by at least 200 MGD. Hindu Rao Hospital, Kamla Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Karol Bagh, Pahar Ganj and some parts of South Delhi are probable areas of water emergency.
In its move to prevent such incidents, the DJB promoted rainwater harvesting and stated, “Humanity is facing water scarcity since there has been a lack of water to meet the standard of water demand. Hence, join the drive and strive for rainwater harvesting”.
