Sixty-six years after Independence, and talks in recent years about India’s emerging superpower status, the truth is that the narrative before elections even in the national capital has not moved beyond the basics of bijlee, sadak and paani (power, road and water). Hence, in the run up to the Delhi Assembly polls, the Opposition BJP has made water one of its poll planks.
BJP Delhi unit president Vijay Goel has been attacking the Congress stating that over 25 per cent of the state’s population does not receive water supply and hence has to remain dependent on water tankers. This deficiency in supply has given rise to the tanker mafia, who charge exorbitant prices of Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,500 per tanker. The BJP’s contention is that there is enough water supplies available in Delhi, but the distribution network is in a bad shape. Water charges, however, have increased exorbitantly over the years, alleges BJP. It may be noted that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit heads the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Goel said according to Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Norms (CPHEEO), which is 135 litres per person per day, even if Delhi’s population was two crore, it would not need more than 650 million gallons daily (MGD), hence the mismanagement in distribution needs to be plugged.
The BJP has been alleging that despite the Delhi government’s expenditure of Rs 450 crore on the Munak Canal, connecting Munak in Haryana to Haiderpur Pond in Delhi, the national capital still has not got even a drop of water from the canal. Work on the project started in 2006, and once completed the canal would be used to supply 90 MGD of water to Delhi.
According to the existing distribution network, Delhi’s water demand is 1,150 MGD but the capital manages to get 835 MGD. This results in large parts of the city going without water for days during summer. The tanker mafia exploits this market, which results in public unrest.
The Congress has stated that during the party’s rule in Delhi since 1998, water supply has increased from 580 MGD to 835 MGD. New water supply lines have been provided to 926 unauthorised colonies.