The same old water crisis is back plaguing the residents of national capital of India. The Water and sewage utility is supplying 900 MGD (million gallons a day) of water from canals and river. Yet, there is a shortage of about 300 MGD, that has affected millions of people in Delhi.
In Delhi, only 18 per cent or 6,25,000 households, do not have piped water supply.
Groundwater supplies in many Indian cities, including Delhi, are running extremely low, and is reported to run out of groundwater supply by 2020. Apart from the national capital, 21 cities including, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad will run out of groundwater. Chennai has already witnessed its worst days without water.
Three rivers, four water bodies, five wetlands and six forests have completely dried in Chennai despite having better water resources and rains than any other metro cities, the report by NITI Aayog said.
At a time when acute water shortage stares Delhi in the face, is it extremely important to run water fountains for aesthetic purposes??
Two of the fountains at Delhi¡¯s prominent areas such as Police memorial in Chanakyapuri and a fountain at Sardar Patel Marg were found running as of this morning.?
Police Headquarters, Chanakyapuri
A Delhi Jal Board official told Indiatimes that the water used in these fountains is groundwater.
The situation is alarming because Delhi is facing acute groundwater shortage. A lot of societies across Delhi do not have top water connections and still rely on water tanks for distribution.
A number of households in posh areas rely on private water tanks despite having water supplied by the DJB.?
Akshardham temple and Commonwealth Games village are built on Delhi¡¯s water bank, meaning there¡¯s no recharge of groundwater.
In Delhi, the mercury recently soared above 48 degrees Celsius and unauthorised colonies like those in Devli, Patel Nagar, Badarpur and Dwarka are facing acute water shortage. Residents tell the tap water is supplied for only 20-25 minutes and the pressure is extremely low, leaving residents high and dry.
Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has announced the approval of an ambitious water conservation project in the River Yamuna acknowledging depleting ground water. The CM said he wants to end water shortage.
In Delhi, water fountains are everywhere and are functioning even at a time when the government has acknowledged crisis. Perhaps, the same water could be diverted to places of requirement where residents do not get adequate supply of water.