Leaks, leaks all over, but not a drop to drink

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport leaks every time it rains but if you are looking for drinking water, it is hard to come by.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport leaks every time it rains but if you are looking for drinking water, it is hard to come by.

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The international terminal of the airport is facing a water shortage for sometime now and passengers have to shell out money for drinking water.

“Finding a drinking water dispenser at the airport is a challenge, especially for passengers who are coming to the airport for the first time,” said a senior official of an international airline who is not authorized to talk to the media.

The private airport operator Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has installed water dispensers at the airport but airport sources their number is not enough.

“There used to be a reverse osmosis (RO) system earlier but it was replaced by water dispensers,” he said.

“However, the water jars in the dispensers are not replaced regularly.”

The official also said that apart from water, drinking cups disappear quickly from the dispensers.

“The quality of the drinking water is also not good and it tastes like raw groundwater. Most people working at the airport or with airlines bring their own water bottles from home,” he said.

This is not the first time the airport is facing a water shortage. When the new domestic departure terminal 1D opened three months ago, both passengers and airport officials faced a water crisis.

The RO (reverse osmosis) water purifiers were not working and drinking water was being carried to the terminal in 20 litre jars —which is the practice still being followed.

Back then, DIAL had blamed the shortage on the testing of the RO system. The airport doesn’t receive normal water supply and is dependant on groundwater.

Apart from shortage of drinking water, there is not enough water in the toilets too. “The toilets are in a bad shape. At many places, the flushes are not working,” said an airport official who didn’t wish to be named fearing reprisal.

“Passengers arriving in international flights have a tough time just after they land as the toilets don’t have enough water and there is a shortage of drinking water too,” he said.