South West Delhi’s Palam village, along with adjacent constituencies, has been facing severe water supply issues. Residents have handed several complaints of the water supply being irregular and of receiving sewer water from the main supply.
The locals rely on the supply tankers for water to carry out their daily chores. Moreover, queries regarding the long waiting time for supply tanks were also submitted by residents, which at times have failed to meet the supply.
Dayaram, a resident of Vijay Enclave, L Block said, “Recently, we were given the date of August 17 to receive the water tanker. It’s August 29 today but we have still not received the tanker. Furthermore, the Jal Board would not register my complaint for the water tank as my name is not in the residents list and I have to depend on other people to raise complaints.”
While wards including Sadhnagar, Palam, Mahavir Enclave and Vijay Enclave face similar issues it’s Mahavir Enclave that is the worst affected. “Actions to rectify the issues are on with the Delhi government setting up the Chandrawal plant. We are expecting that the problem of water shortage will be resolved in 8 to 10 months. For now, we are trying to meet our requirements through the tankers, and to accommodate as many as complaints,” said Ajay Kumar Rai, Parshad, Mahavir Enclave.
In another charge of apathy laid bare, the residents have said that the water they are receiving from the main supply line is mixed with the sewerage water. “The water that reaches our taps is visibly contaminated and has an unpleasant odour, making it unsuitable for basic daily needs such as drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene. We are constantly worried about the potential health hazards associated with consuming or using the supplied water,” said Tanmay Dhar a resident of Vijay Enclave.
According to the RWA, the problem with the water supply rose after new water pipelines were installed by DSIIDC (Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation). In the new pipelines, laid out during the Covid times the top of the tombs (the adjoints where different water lines meet) were not covered with cement and were left open, because of which the water from the drainage line is getting mixed with the main supply line.