Congress’ ‘Matka Phod’ protest against water crisis in Delhi | Why is Delhi facing a water crisis?

Delhi faces water crisis in this longest hot year The current water crisis has reached a critical stage, affecting millions of residents and requiring significant government and judicial interventions .

Delhi, the capital of India, is facing a serious water shortage in the midst of the hottest summer with temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius. It will be very difficult to serve the people. The water crisis is severe in many areas such as Sanjay Camp of Chanakyapuri, Geeta Colony in East Delhi, Patel Nagar, Mehrauli and Chhatarpur. Demand for water increased due to the heatwave, exacerbating the crisis.

Residents of Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp, East Delhi’s Geeta Colony, Patel Nagar, Mehrauli, Chhatarpur etc. are struggling to find drinking water. They are facing problems of long queues and limited access to water. People say “There is no water, if there is water for 5 minutes it is dirty water. They have no water to drink. They don’t bathe.” This crisis has highlighted the gaps in Delhi’s water infrastructure and the urgent need for sustainable water management measures.

Why is Delhi facing a water crisis?

The Delhi crisis arose when Haryana refused to release excess water to the Indian national capital. However, not only Delhi, many other cities are suffering from severe heat waves and facing water crises. Heat waves increase electricity use and water consumption, which are important causes of water shortages.

Currently, Delhi residents are struggling with drinking water. The main cause of water shortage is climate change. Excessive use and wastage of water causes the current situation in Delhi. According to a report, the average Indian wastes 30% of their daily water needs. In addition, each toilet flush will release 6 liters of water, which is an unnecessary waste of water. According to a report by Down to Earth magazine, every day 4,84,20,000 crore cubic meters, i.e. 48.42 billion 1-liter water bottles, are wasted, leaving 160 million people in the country without even access to clean water. and soft drinks to drink.

Regarding the Delhi water crisis, the BJP and the Congress are running a “Matka Phod” campaign. Politics has overtaken the water crisis. Both the BJP and the Congress took to the streets to protest against the AAP government. They are blaming the AAP government and saying to watch out for water crisis amid extreme heatwave in Delhi.

Government Activities

The Supreme Court of India intervened to resolve the crisis. On June 1, 2024, the Court asked Himachal Pradesh to supply 137 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi. It stated that there should be no politics on the water issue and tried to highlight the issue. The Supreme Court is trying to resolve the water crisis in Delhi. This order of the Supreme Court is aimed at providing water flow from Himachal Pradesh through Haryana to Delhi through Wazirabad dam. Soon, the surplus water will be released by the HP government through Wazirabad dam.

Additionally, the government has also taken many steps to alleviate the water crisis. These are the main steps taken by the government on the situation-

  • Emergency measures: The government has deployed a rapid response team to check leaks in main pipelines and ensure effective distribution of water tankers through Delhi. The government is providing free water tankers to all areas and helping to provide at least drinking water to the people.
  • Legal action: The Delhi government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against surplus water supply from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Due to the government’s legal action, the Supreme Court has urged Himachal Pradesh to increase water supply to the capital.
  • Wasteful fines: The government is also imposing fines for wasting water. Anyone who wastes water by washing their car with a hose and using domestic water for construction purposes, etc., will be fined 2,000 yen.

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