The Hindu : New Delhi News : It's water war out there in Kalkaji Extension

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

It's water war out there in Kalkaji Extension

Staff Reporter

With almost no piped water, tankers are being hijacked by a few, leaving the majority to fend for themselves

NEW DELHI: Whenever a Delhi Jal Board water tanker enters the gates of Pocket A-3 of Kalkaji Extension in South Delhi, it literally gets hijacked. The water meant for all the residents is cornered by a few, leaving the others with little option but to spend huge amounts on obtaining the precious stuff from private sources. And while DJB officials are in the know of this practice, they plead helplessness saying ultimately it is for the respective residents' welfare associations to decide on the distribution of water.

However, this stranglehold over the water of some residents of the pocket has become a major cause of concern for the others. As many as 150 families of the area recently wrote to the DJB management about the discrimination in water supply going on in their area. A former librarian of Teen Murti House and author of many books, O.P. Ralhan, said that while the inability of the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant to become functional in 2004 is the root cause of the problem, even the sinking of a tube-well to supply water to the pocket failed to help as some residents have made the supply their fiefdom. "The water is supplied only to some houses in the colony from the pipes. The rest have to make do with tanker supply."

But even when the DJB tankers come to the colony, they are directed from the gates to the houses of a chosen few.

"There is no control of the DJB on the issue and as such the writ of a few is running over the majority." So the colony is now divided into haves and have-nots on the basis of who manages somewhat and who has to make do without it.

The area Junior Engineer of DJB, Madan Singh, acknowledges that from the gates of the pocket some residents lead the tankers away but says there is little that DJB can do except for continuing the supply of water through its three tankers meant for the colony. "Finally, the distribution is an issue which the residents should solve amicably. We do not want to get into their internal politics."

Mr. Singh said to provide some more relief to the local residents another connection is being provided through a nearby line which would help provide water to another 20-odd houses.

In view of the situation, the residents of the area are now pinning their hopes on the supply from the 140 MGD Sonia Vihar WTP which is undergoing flushing following receipt of around 80 cusecs of water per day from Uttar Pradesh through the Upper Ganga Canal.

However, DJB Member and Badarpur MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri warned that the supply from the plant might not be adequate as only 11 of the 28 underground reservoirs have been completed and most of the others are only about 10 to 15 per cent complete as the man who had been contracted for the job abandoned the project midway due to escalation in steel and cement prices.

"The DJB for some reasons had given the entire contract to one person and not put in escalation clauses to compensate for increase in costs of raw materials. As such, the contractor has abandoned the project"

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