Delhi's Ongoing Water Crisis: Residents Struggle to Survive

As summer heats up in Delhi, residents face extreme water shortages along with the sweltering heat. Sangam Vihar's high population density exacerbates the issue, leaving residents like Om Lata jostling for limited water supplies. Insufficient government provisions deepen the crisis, demanding urgent interventions.

As winter transitions to summer each year, Sangam Vihar resident Om Lata braces herself for the worst.

Her daily struggle for water, involving disputes with neighbors over tanker supplies, mirrors the plight of hundreds of thousands of Delhi residents. The severe water shortage in the national capital intensifies as the scorching temperatures rise.

Lata, residing in Sangam Vihar's L Block, underscores the critical nature of the crisis, highlighting that families have to purchase water for all their needs—drinking, cooking, and cleaning. She questions how a family can endure such conditions.

''The fear of summer looms large every year. We lack even drinking water. The desperate tussle over water when the tanker arrives is a common scene,'' she said.

Gajendra Pratap from Geeta Colony shares similar concerns, describing how the shortage has plagued Delhi for years, starting as soon as summer arrives. Despite efforts by the Delhi government to supply water via tankers, the provisions fall far short of demand.

''Tankers arrive around 7 am and run out within half an hour,'' Pratap lamented. With school vacations in effect, the need for water at home has skyrocketed, compelling even the most financially strained families to purchase it.

Sangam Vihar's high population density worsens the situation. The L Block, in particular, sees women like Lata waiting anxiously for the Delhi Jal Board tanker, vying to be the first in line.

Sunita, another resident, expressed her frustration. ''Buying water is necessary to survive the summer. A single tanker costs Rs 3,000, and even then, the wait time is excruciating,'' she explained.

The crisis has grown so dire that the Supreme Court recently termed it an ''existential problem,'' urging the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water and directing Haryana to aid in its distribution. Despite these measures, the Delhi Water Minister Atishi stressed that shortages would persist until Haryana ceases to withhold the city's rightful share.

''Haryana conspires against Delhi behind the Supreme Court's back,'' Atishi alleged, warning that declining water levels in the Yamuna jeopardize the functionality of treatment plants, further exacerbating the crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)