As the city continues to grapple with an intense and unprecedented heat wave, people have been forced to reckon with a resultant water crisis. Desperate residents in different parts of the city were seen waiting in long queues and running behind water tankers to fulfil their daily requirements. As the crisis continues, let’s take a closer look at the situation, what caused it and the political firestorm afterwards.
On the ground
In Kusumpur Pahadi’s Block E, the fight for water is not just a necessity; it’s a daily battle for survival. As the sun begins its descent, the atmosphere around the lone water pump thickens with tension. Residents gather, their faces etched with fatigue and desperation, knowing that securing even a trickle of water is crucial for their families’ well-being.
The reporters visited over five villages in the city, where the residents have been living in the crescendo of chaos and desperation for even a drop of water.
The words of Bhagwati Ghadiya from Kusumpur echo the sentiments of many: the two-hour window to access the pump is a fleeting opportunity, and failure to seize it means sacrificing the ability to perform essential tasks of the day.
As the evening wears on, the struggle for water aggravates, reaching a fever pitch in the final hour. “Brick fights erupt, I’ve seen it get bloody even” Burmavati says.
This tumultuous struggle has become a grim routine, a harsh reminder of their precarious existence.
Santosh Rajkumar from Sanjay Colony says the water crisis is linked to politics. “Before the election results, everything was fine. Now, daily fights over water are common. Despite complaints to the AAP office, nothing has changed,” he says.
Sheela Devi, from the same colony, voiced her concerns about the crisis and the authorities’ lack of action in addressing the issue. “The tanker sometimes comes, but the water it brings is often dirty. This forces residents to purchase water from shops, which is an additional financial burden. We have to buy water at `25 for 10 litres,” she says.
Children in Nehru Nagar are getting rashes and other skin problems because the only water available is salty which they use for drinking, cooking, and bathing. Ghazipur village has also been grappling with severe water scarcity and poor water quality. What adds to the dire situation is no proper drainage system and trash on streets.
Pinky, a 42-year-old cosmetic shop owner says, “I spend `60 on bottled water daily because the clean water supply is so unreliable. It only comes for an hour in the morning and once in the evening and even then, it’s often dirty or barely a trickle.”
Amna, who owns a small shop, voiced his concerns as well and said, “For the past two months, we haven’t had any clean water. It’s been a nightmare trying to run my business and keep my family healthy.”
The scorching heat with lack of water makes life almost unbearable for the Delhi-NCR people. The community often comes together to find temporary solutions such as pooling money to buy water or relying on local hand pumps.
What caused it?
Delhi sources its water primarily from three rivers: the Yamuna, the Ravi-Beas, and the Ganga. The city receives approximately 470 cusecs (about 254 MGD) from the Ganga via the Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, Delhi draws water from the Yamuna and Ravi-Beas rivers through two main channels from Haryana: the Carrier Lined Channel (CLC) and the Delhi Sub Branch (DSB).
The CLC supplies 719 cusecs and the DSB provides 330 cusecs, totalling around 565 MGD. The Delhi Jal Board also extracts water directly from the Yamuna, although there is no specific allocation for this. Combined, the CLC, DSB, and direct Yamuna extraction contribute about 612 MGD to Delhi’s water supply. Groundwater supplements these sources, with around 135 MGD drawn from tubewells and ranney wells.
The recent water shortage in Delhi was triggered by the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) operating below its capacity from May 12 to 14 and May 18 to June 1. This period coincided with record-high temperatures, causing a surge in water demand. The Wazirabad WTP, with a capacity of 131 MGD, supplies parts of North, Central, and South Delhi, including areas like Burari, Model Town, Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, and Greater Kailash. It is the third largest of DJB’s nine WTPs and relies heavily on water from the CLC and DSB. Despite assurances from Delhi and Haryana that this supply was stable, the plant also draws water directly from the Yamuna at the Wazirabad reservoir, where supply issues emerged.
In May, the Wazirabad WTP’s output dropped to 102.9 MGD, only returning to its normal capacity on June 2. Other WTPs operated above capacity, except for occasional power failures. By June 3 to 6, the Wazirabad WTP was producing around 133-134 MGD daily, slightly above its capacity. With all WTPs running optimally, DJB can produce a little over 1,000 MGD, though production fell to 966 MGD in May due to issues at both Wazirabad and Sonia Vihar WTPs. However, the DJB could not meet the peak summer demand of 1,290 MGD as estimated in the Economic Survey for 2023-24.
The suboptimal performance of the Wazirabad WTP was largely due to a significant rainfall deficit in May across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. This led to insufficient water levels in the Yamuna, affecting DJB’s ability to draw water from the Wazirabad reservoir. On May 31, the reservoir’s water level was 670.3 feet, below the normal level of 674.5 feet. It has since risen slightly to 671 feet. Similar situations have occurred in previous summers, with water levels dropping as low as 667.7 feet in June 2022.
Delhi’s water allocation from the Yamuna is governed by a 1994 agreement among Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, which allots 0.076 billion cubic metres of water to Delhi from March to June, amounting to roughly 435 MGD. The annual allocation is 0.724 BCM, regulated by the Upper Yamuna River Board, with the agreement up for revision in 2025. A 1996 Supreme Court ruling ensures that Delhi receives adequate water for domestic use from Haryana through the Yamuna, maintaining full reservoirs at Wazirabad and Hyderpur.
Legal battle
Amid allegations and counter allegations over acute shortage of water, the Arvind kejriwal-led Delhi government, on May 31, moved the Supreme Court and sought direction to neighbouring states- Haryana, UP and Himachal Pradesh- for supplying more water to the national capital to meet the daily consumption of Delhi people.
The AAP government, in its plea, requested the SC for appropriate directions and/or orders to the Haryana, UP and HP state government, to provide additional water for at least a month. It was said before the court that the need for water for Delhi people has increased in the national capital amid sweltering heat and a severe heat wave.
“Access to water is one of the basic human rights. Not only is water essential for sustenance, but access to water also forms an essential component of the guarantee of dignity and a quality of life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The current water crisis, which may only get worse given peak summers and ongoing water shortage, violates the right to a dignified and quality life of the people of the NCT of Delhi, who are unable to access even adequate clean drinking water,” the Delhi government said in its petition.
The Supreme Court, during the initial hearing, had asked the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital and Haryana to facilitate its flow, after noting that the acute shortage of drinking water has become an “existential problem” in Delhi.
The SC had also said there should be no politics over water. A vacation bench of Justices P K Mishra and KV Viswanathan noted that the Himachal Pradesh government is willing to release 137 cusecs of surplus water available with it for Delhi.
The top court slammed it for not rectifying defects in its plea seeking a direction to Haryana to release the surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh to the city, after noting that “do not take us for granted.”
“Why have you not cured the defect? Even on the last date of hearing, this was pointed out and you did not remove the defect so far. Don’t take the court proceedings for granted,” the vacation bench said.
The Himachal Pradesh government told the top court that it did not have a surplus of 136 cusecs of water to provide to mitigate the imminent water crisis. A two-judge vacation bench of the top court asked the state government to approach the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) for more water supply.
This stand of the Himachal government was in direct contradiction to its earlier submissions made by it to the SC that it would provide additional water to Delhi. This development seemed to be a major setback for the people of Delhi, as there was acute shortage of water for Delhi and the submissions of HP government made the issue more complicated now.
On June 1, the apex court had asked the board to convene an emergency meeting with stakeholders’ concerned on the issue.
Political blame-game
City’s severe water crisis is a new tool for political parties’ to highlight incumbent government’s misgovernance, while for the ruling party, a new buck to pass. The intricate governance system of Delhi helmed by L-G VK Saxena and the government are in no mood to take the accountability for managing a resource whose shortage in peak summer has made citizens suffer.
For weeks, the city’s water supply has plummeted forcing everyone to run behind water tankers. However, there is never a dull day in politics. The AAP government, L-G and BJP are onto each other to fix the accountability. Meanwhile, the SC is running the show with orders and directions for a civic affair which ideally should have been managed by the government and the L-G.
The government has been constantly accusing the Haryana government of not releasing the Delhi’s share of water through the Munak canal and also apprised the situation to the Centre and Haryana government. The L-G has been attacking the Delhi government, calling it “irresponsible” for not repairing “dilapidated pipelines”, which, according to him, caused 40% of the water to go waste. The L-G has also been cornering the AAP regime on the water theft by tanker mafia.
A team of UYRB officials, along with senior officials checked the supply of water at Munak canal and found it to be “sufficient”. The UYRB is an inter-state body established to regulate the allocation and management of the water resources of the upper Yamuna basin. The L-G also pointed out that even if Haryana were to give additional water, Delhi did not have enough water treatment plants and capacity to treat and supply it to others. While both parties maintained their claims, developments on their stance is happening every day.
The blame game got uglier when Water Minister Atishi and L-G got involved in a public spat on social media. Targeting a statement by the L-G office, Atishi last week wrote on X where she accused Rajniwas of abusing her. “I have been abused a lot in it. Very bad things have been said about me.” The AAP leader added that she knew that the L-G and the BJP hated the people because people repeatedly made Arvind Kejriwal, the CM with a huge mandate.
The Raj Niwas from its official handle hit back at Atishi saying “L-G did not abuse you. The L-G office has refuted your abuses for him and white lies with evidence, and has exposed your habit of misleading the people of Delhi.” The Congress’ Delhi unit has maintained a balanced politics questioning both Centre and Delhi government for this debacle.
Existential problem
The Supreme Court had asked the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital and Haryana to facilitate its flow, after noting that the acute shortage of drinking water has become an “existential problem” in Delhi.
New tool for parties
The water crisis is a new tool for political parties to highlight the government’s misgovernance, while for the ruling party, a new buck to pass. The city’s water supply has plummeted forcing everyone to run behind water tankers.