Delhi gears up to tackle `worst ever’ water crisis

With the prospect of a water crisis looming large over the Capital due to “failure of monsoon” in the city and its neighbourhood, the Delhi Government has finally geared up to tackle what its officials call the “worst ever” water crisis in more than a decade.

Based on the premise that only conservation efforts could save the residents from an acute shortage of water in the Capital in the coming days, the Delhi Government has prepared an action plan to launch a massive awareness campaign soon.

The campaign, which is being launched at the personal intervention of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, calls upon all residents of the Capital to “join hands to fight the delayed monsoon and the extended summer.” The public water utility, Delhi Jal Board (DJB), is already feeling the pinch because of shortfall in supply of raw water from Haryana.

As part of the campaign, the DJB would appeal in various ways to the residents to conserve as much water as they can.

“The water supplied to you is meant for drinking, do not waste it,” goes the appeal, which would be distributed as a pamphlet through newspaper in the Capital in the coming days. In another major decision, Ms. Dikshit has directed that all Government hoardings — of any nature — be replaced by this appeal. “In the coming days, you would see this appeal all over Delhi,” said a senior DJB official.

The audio-visual appeal would be shown in all the cinema halls, besides television channels and radio.

Arguing that there is enough water for everyone’s use and not for anyone’s misuse, the appeal urges people to use the water being supplied by the DJB for drinking purpose and not for washing floors/premises, for gardening, washing of vehicles and sprinkling on roads.

It urges people to remember that the use of booster pumps not only deprives the neighbour of his share of water, but also exposes the entire water supply network to contamination. The DJB will appeal to the residents not to throw water they have stored overnight as it is not stale. “Normally, people tend to throw water down the drain they store overnight,” the official said. In its appeal, the DJB will urge people to save water by various measures like having a bath with a bucket instead of a shower or using a tub. “While taking bath rinse, turn off the tap, apply soap on your body and rinse again. Save 50 to 70 litres of water. While brushing your teeth or shaving do not leave the tap running. Save up to 15-25 litres of water,” it says.

Stating that water is precious, the DJB will call upon the people to recycle water in their own way. For instance it says: “Water in which vegetables and fruits have been washed can be used to water plants.”

The DJB official argued that conservation was the only way to save the Capital from the crisis on the water front. “If this is done, water could be provided to all. There would be no shortage,” the official said. After Ms. Dikshit pulled up the DJB, the water utility has also intensified its drive against water leakages and increased its surveillance measures against theft. The DJB has already started rationing by providing one-hour water supply only once a day. “It is going to be a real crisis and we have to take emergency measures to tackle it,” the official said.