NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday claimed that almost every household in the national capital is connected to the city’s potable water supply network.
He said water is one of the focus areas of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and a series of schemes have been announced to improve the city’s water supply system.
Addressing a gathering of residents’ welfare associations, market associations and the general public in the Neeti Bagh area of Malviya Nagar Assembly constituency on Monday, the chief minister said, “The primary objective of my government after we came to power was to link every household with a water pipe.
And, today, I can proudly say that barring 7 per cent of Delhi’s territory, which anyway fall in restricted zones such as forest areas or those under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), almost every household in the city is connected with the water supply network of Delhi Jal Board.
There’s been a massive surge — from 54 per cent to 93 per cent — in the city’s water connections over the last four-and-a-half years.”
Noted environmentalist Aabid Surti, who is associated with Drop Dead Foundation, an NGO, and is known for his body of work on making people aware of ways to save water, was also present at the meeting.
He said his movement helped save more than 30 million litres of water by plugging leakages in households across the country.
Local AAP MLA Somnath Bharti said, “We’ll start a pilot project in the area on the idea of water conservation made popular by Aabid Surti.” Recently, a Niti Aayog report had predicted a grave water crisis in 21 cities of India, including Delhi, in 2020.
“By developing a catchment area of 1,500 acres along the Yamuna, the DJB will be able to store rainwater to a significant extent.
We’ll be able to store enough water to meet 24 hours of requirement in the entire Delhi for a full year,” Kejriwal said.