DDA flats in South Delhi hit by water scarcity

Residents of DDA flats in south Delhi’s Dakshinpuri extension say they are getting only 10 to 15 minutes of water supply every day, forcing them to recycle and reuse water to make ends meet.

Water for the affected area, Block 20 DDA flats, is sourced from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), tube wells, the Upper Ganga canal and the Yamuna. The water is stored in an underground reservoir and distributed to households.

“We essentially get water only from tube wells. Water from the rivers come for just two hours at very low pressure; but that is not sufficient as many of the wells have started dying. Out of the nine tube wells given to us, only one is functional,” claimed Manoj Parcha, president of South Niketan Residents’ Welfare Association.

These residents recycle and reuse the 200 odd litres of water they get every day. “We collect the water that we use for washing clothes, etc, and use it for cleaning the bathroom. We can’t wash dishes under running water. We rinse dishes in tubs of water so that we do not waste any,” claimed Sujitha Sudheesh, a resident.

The locals run out of water on most days and have to rely on residents of neighbouring colonies. Others call water tankers to make up for the deficit.

“We spend around four to five thousand rupees every month, buying extra water. This is in addition to the water bills we pay to DJB every month,” claimed Geeta Devi, another resident.

“We approached the DJB, our MLA, Prakash Jarwal, Kapil Mishra, (water minister in Delhi). We had spoken to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The CM and Kapil Mishra assured us something would be done. It has been almost six months and nothing has been done,” claimed MG Krishnan, an executive member of the RWA.

According to an internal communication on November 4, 2016, the chief engineer (south) of the DJB had told the CM’s office that three tube wells had to be bored again, and that work would be completed by December 2016.

Senior DJB officials were unavailable for any comment.