Searing heat and pressure of exams, and no water to drink

The searing summer heat has not just taken its toll on the Capital, but has also left a number of DU students parched. HT reports.

The searing summer heat has not just taken its toll on the Capital, but has also left a number of DU students parched. And the problem has been not college-specific for most colleges in south campus have been facing severe water shortage.

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“We didn’t have any water in the restrooms or in the drinking water dispensers. Since a number of students are appearing in year-end exams, it becomes very inconvenient,” said Siddharth Kapur, a student of Motilal Nehru College.

But according to authorities, the matter had been resolved within 24 hours of its occurrence. “We got in touch with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the matter was resolved within a day,” said Dinesh Varshney, Deputy Dean of Students’ Welfare, South Campus.

The problem, according to Varshney, was an extension of the water shortage that gripped several areas of south and central Delhi. “Since large parts of the city have been affected by the shortage, DU was also not spared either. But the issue has now been resolved and you will not see a repeat in future,” he added.

“How can we be so sure that this won’t happen when the new academic session starts? We have been buying water from vendors and from the cafeteria, but that doesn’t suffice if we have classes throughout the day,” said Kapur.

While authorities claim to have received no complaints about the matter, students insist that the shortage had gripped colleges like Ram Lal Anand, Motilal Nehru, ARSD and Sri Venkateswara College.

“We did not receive any complaints of water shortage. Maybe it was a stray incident, but there was no formal complaint from any particular college,” said Varshney.