Delhi government, in connivancewith private firms, has shown inflated figures of water beingtreated and wasted to increase tariff and implement a Rs-520crore project to replace the water pipeline in the city, AamAdmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged today.
"There is a clear nexus between the company (whichsupplies treated water) and Sheila Dikshit government," hetold reporters.
Elaborating on the alleged "scam", he asked how SoniaVihar water treatment plant, which was set up by a Frenchcompany Degremont, could claim to produce 140 MGD of treatedwater when it is only provided 48 million Gallons per Day(MGD) by Delhi government.
"Artificially they are inflating the production, becausewhen they inflate the production, they can claim 140 MGD ofwater produced, 48 MGD was supplied and rest of it leaked.
Consumers are not paying the bills," he said.
The city government has prepared a Rs 520-crore project toreplace the existing pipeline in Malviya Nagar to reduce NonRevenue Water (NRW)-- the water which go waste, from SoniaVihar plant.
"And the project is awarded to the same company and nowfinancial burden of the entire project on Malviya Nagar peoplewill be Rs 1.6 lakh per person and interest part will be Rs1,500 per family per month," he said, adding "we are helplessas if we go to courts then the matter would take years andtill then people have to pay through their nose."
When asked how he will take the fight to logicalconclusion, he said, people will have to take a call.
Delhi Jal Board refuted the claim and said points raisedby Kejriwal were inaccurate and due diligence has been takenin the project.
Questioning the Delhi Jal Board's claim of suppling 840MGD water, half of which is NRW including 25 per cent of thetotal which is wasted due to leakages in pipeline, he said"this means 210 MGD of water gets leaked everyday, if thatmuch of water comes on road then there would be flood in Delhiand if it goes in ground then water table would have risen."
He claimed that wherever in the world water has beenprivatised, there have been water riots as the cost of waterhad gone out of reach of people.
He also alleged that most the companies, which areworking here, have been blacklisted in many countries due totheir corrupt practises.