Kusumpur Pahari slums may soon have better water distribution system, thanks to the efforts of a few students of Delhi University.

Last week, students from the Cluster Innovation Centre submitted a proposal to the Delhi Jal Board suggesting innovative ways to resolve water scarcity in the slums.“We are going through the project plans. The feasibility of the measures will be checked following which we will consider implementation. We appreciate the efforts of the students,” said an official from Delhi Jal Board, south zone. A group of five students from the centre, who were working on a semester-long project, mapped the water-related problems that residents in this slum face.

“After an extensive survey, we found out that only nine taps catered to over 35,000 people in these jhuggis. We realised water from the tankers do not reach the interiors of the slums. Also, people tussle over water while waiting in a queue to fill buckets leading to chaos,” said Shamrez Ali, a second-year student of BTech Humanities.The team found out through the survey that the crisis was due to the faulty distribution of water.

“The problem lies with the uneven distribution of water. A lot of water is lost through fissures in tanks and it adds to the existing dismal condition in the area,” added Ali. The students identified specific locations in the slum and chartered which are the areas which face acute water shortage. 

“The aim was to give solutions to improve the situation for drinking and non-drinking water in Kusumpur Pahari,” said Sukrita Paul Kumar, Aruna Asaf Ali Chair and coordinator of BTech Humanities. 

While students have suggested two kiosks in addition to the existing DJB tankers for drinking purposes, they have asked for installation of five kiosks for non-drinking purposes in different locations.

“Also, students proposed that packaged drinking water should be part of DJB’s water distribution system. The quantity of water that each family needs for usage can be determined if tokens are issued for water cans,” Kumar added.