NEW DELHI: Each drop of water saved is a success for residents of South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. The likes of Kirtilal Khatri, a senior citizen, have whole heartedly joined hands with their local AAP MLA Somnath Bharti for fixing taps which leak precious drinking water.
"Saving water is important… The local MLA introduced us to this initiative and it caught on with people. Everyone should realise that overflowing tanks, leaking taps should be plugged immediately. Sometimes, leakage affects water pressure as well. Water wastage is an issue that society has to seriously think about and change its mindset. Many tenants who come and stay do not realise this," says Khatri, also
the Malviya Nagar RWA vice-president.
It was none other than environmentalist Aabid Surti of NGO Drop Dead Foundation who was the force behind this pilot project which he began with the AAP in August. Surti claims his movement helped save more than 30 million litres of water by plugging leakages in households across India.
Now, locals appreciate and welcome their MLA and his team which introduced the habit of keeping a watch on leaking taps in houses. “Initially, it does not seem much as a household is just fixing a tap. But, if you come to think of it, tap leakage over the years could waste a lot of water. We got our tap fixed two months ago and since then it feels like a social service. It feels good, to know that you have saved water which can be used in the future,” says DP Ghai, a member of the Nil, Resident Welfare Association in Malviya Nagar.
Water supply is one of the major cornerstones when it comes to governance for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who heads the water ministry and is the chairman of the Delhi Jal Board. Barring seven per cent of Delhi's territory, Kejriwal claims, almost every household are connected to the DJB water supply network.
At a time when the AAP and the BJP are caught in the midst of a water war, residents of Malviya Nagar and their MLA are proud of their joint initiative which they feel can be replicated across the city. “Residents have shown a great zeal in getting associated with the campaign. The pilot project was started with suggestions from the Drop Dead Foundation. Later on, the people understood the importance of plugging water leakages in homes. Saving water should be a priority of every household. We will keep on running similar projects at regular intervals,” says Bharti.Bharti finds support from Om Prakash Tiwari, a local, who feels the initiative should be extended to government offices. “Like we, the citizens, are taking such initiative about water conservation, government offices should also take up such steps,” he asserts.