The Hindu : New Delhi News : A tough summer ahead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

A tough summer ahead

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 19. With rising temperatures, long hours of power cuts and acute shortage of water, it is proving to be a tough summer for Delhiites. A manifold increase in the number of cholera cases and other seasonal diseases has added to the woes of the Capital's citizens.

The situation on the water front has been deteriorating with each passing day. With Delhi Jal Board officials throwing their hands up, the crisis looks likely to continue till the onset of the monsoon.

A large number of people across the city complained on Wednesday about inadequate supply of drinking water which was not even enough to meet their bare minimum needs. Though the residents of posh colonies like Vasant Kunj and Sarita Vihar in South Delhi are managing by purchasing drinking water, the worst hit were those living in the slum clusters, resettlement and unauthorised colonies.

With the Jal Board just unable to meet the demand with its water tankers, there have been few reports of fights breaking out among people in several colonies over water. A large number of tube-wells have dried up because of the drastic decline in the ground water level.

In several areas like Lajpat Nagar and Krishna Market in South Delhi there have been reports of sewage water getting mixed with drinking water. Despite repeated complaints from residents, no serious effort has been made by the authorities concerned to supply safe drinking water to the people.

Meanwhile, the crisis on the power front intensified as the private discoms have just not been able to plug the loophole in their distribution network. The discom officials claimed they required some time to improve the "poor network" they inherited from the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board some three summers ago.

Hours of unscheduled power cuts due to local faults has also badly hit the treatment and distribution of water, DJB officials claimed. Residents complained that the load-shedding this time round was more than what it was last summer. "Last night the electricity went off at 2-30 a.m. and was restored only after two hours," said Pooja, a resident of Vasant Kunj.

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