Several condos along Dwarka expressway face water shortage; GMDA blames sabotage

Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority said the supply network was tampered with, causing the water in the supply pipeline to be diverted to the Gurgaon water channel instead of to consumers

Several condominiums and colonies along the Dwarka expressway have been experiencing acute drinking water shortages for the last seven to ten days, and residents claim that even after receiving supplies from private tankers, the shortage persists, making life difficult in the hot weather.

According to most residents, supply has been erratic for the past month, but the problem has become more acute in the last week. (Representational Image/HT Archive)

According to most residents, supply has been erratic for the past month, but the problem has become more acute in the last week.

Shubham Srivastav, a resident of Signature Roselia in Sector 95A, said that the water supply has been erratic for the last 20 days and that private tankers have been supplying water to make up the difference. “Office workers are finding it difficult to manage the situation due to a lack of drinking water. The weather is also sweltering, and the water demand is increasing in every household, but the situation is dire,” he said.

Srivastav said tankers supply water, but their availability has decreased as demand has increased.

According to authorities, there are 50 residential societies along the Dwarka expressway, and water demand has increased in the last two to three years.

Ajit Kumar, a resident of the Mahindra Aura condominium, said that residents have been relying on tankers for water supply for several days. “The government’s water supply is insufficient, and the water quality delivered by tankers is poor. Due to fluorides in this untreated water, all of the taps and faucets have turned white. We are concerned that water-borne diseases will spread in the coming days if supply does not return to normal,” he said.

According to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the city receives 570 MLD of water per day, and there is no shortage of water supply. Still, they have identified the causes of erratic water supply in residential areas and condominiums along the Dwarka expressway and are working to resolve the issue.

Mohit Jain, president of Solera residents welfare association, a condominium in Sector 107, said there was a significant drop in water supply over the last month. “We had complained to the authorities and the estate manager of our condominium about a lack of drinking water two weeks ago. Tankers are delivering the water, but this is not a viable solution. We want the authorities to devise a long-term solution,” he said.

Residents of Ramprastha City in Sector 37 C also complained that the water supply to the three condominiums in their township was far less than what was required. “The master water pipeline along the Dwarka expressway was not laid, and many condominiums that have applied for a water connection have been waiting for months,” said resident Pradeep Rahi.

When asked about the situation, Abhinav Verma, executive engineer at GMDA, said that they had discovered the cause of the water shortage in the condominiums along the Dwarka Expressway. “After inspecting the entire network for four to five days, we discovered that there were two scour calves on the supply network that was tampered with, causing the water in the supply pipeline to be diverted to the Gurgaon water channel instead of being delivered to the consumers,” he explained.

According to Verma, scour valves are installed on the pipeline so that water from the pipelines can be removed if maintenance work is required. “We were unaware of the system’s valves. These valves have been secured, and we have increased patrols across the network to ensure that miscreants do not cause problems or exploit the situation,” he said.

GMDA also clarified on Sunday that no directive was issued regarding the non-supply of water to private swimming pools in condominiums. On the other hand, the authority urged all city residents to use water wisely.