No votes for empty buckets

A majority of voters (13.2%) in the Capital still rate erratic water supply as the most important electoral issue.

A majority of voters (13.2%) in the Capital still rate erratic water supply as the most important electoral issue.

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The reasons for this are obvious. While water demand in Delhi has gone up to 990 million gallons per day (MGD), the availability of potable water is just 770 MGD.

The last water treatment plant (WTP) that came up was the 140 MGD Sonia Vihar plant. Proposals to construct dams like Renuka in Himachal Pradesh and Kishau and Lakhwar Vyasi in Uttaranchal have remained on paper for over a decade.

Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has not only failed to augment supply but has also done little to upgrade its dilapidated water distribution network. Even today, about 40 per cent of the total water processed by DJB goes waste because of distribution network leakages.

Another contributor to Delhi’s water woes is its dependence on neighbouring states like UP, Haryana and Punjab for water.