Residents struggle to cope with water crisis, slum dwellers worst affected

With no clarity on when the water situation will improve, Delhiites are finding it difficult to cope with the crisis. While some areas received water supply on Sunday morning, most localities in the West and North did not get any supply since two days now.

The worst affected are slums in these areas where people use the same water for drinking or non drinking purposes.

Families living in the slum of West Delhi’s Baljeet Nagar are now buying “expensive” water bottles from the market to minimise the usage of water available to them.

“We boil the tap water for drinking purposes but now we are bringing bottles from market because there is very less water left with us which we need for other chores. The bottles are very expensive but there is no other option,” said Padma Devi, a labourer in Punjabi Basti in Baljeet Nagar. 

With the unprecedented crisis like situation, same stories are coming from other areas as well. Many people said that they are avoiding cooking and ordering food from outside.

“Just so that we don’t need water for washing utensils, we ordered food from a nearby dhaba,” said Komal, a housewife and a resident of Janakpuri.

West and North Delhi were the worst affected areas and many families avoided staying at home on Sunday so that they don’t use whatever water is stored in the overhead tank.

“We did not get any water even on Sunday. And there is very little left in the overhead tank. We heard on the news that the situation is not going to get better so I took my family for a movie and then lunch to avoid using water at home,” said Romesh, a resident of Ashok Vihar.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Water Minister Kapil Mishra wrote on Twitter, “positive human interest stories coming, people are sharing water, asking each other, reaching out to the needy, saving water...wow Delhi, showing the way”.