Delhi govt to run pilot project to prevent water leakage

The Delhi government will emulate environmentalist Aabid Surti's model and run a pilot project to prevent water leakage problem in Malviya Nagar area.

The results of this pilot project will help in deciding better on how this project can be implemented across Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

According to Surti's model, teams knock on the doors of the people and appeal to them to check whether there is any form of water leakage in the household from any source -- either taps or tanks and in case of any leakages. Such leakages are fixed immediately by plumbers who are part of the team. This minimises any water loss.

The chef minister lauded Surti's model of water leakage prevention.

A proposal of Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti about forming teams and go door-to-door in entire Malviya Nagar to implement Surti's model will be treated as a pilot project, Kejriwal said.

The chief minister expressed confidence that the Delhi government would be able to provide the residents of the city with 24-hour water supply in the coming four-five years.

"I would like to inform you that in 2015, when we assumed office, only 58 per cent of Delhiites were getting piped water and rest of Delhi was being supplied water through tankers," Kejriwal said. "Today, within four-and-a-half years, the number of Delhiites getting piped water has significantly risen to 93 per cent."
The Delhi government has started a pilot project to conserve the Yamuna water that overflows during monsoon, Kejriwal said. "If we can store this water during rain for recharging groundwater, we can solve Delhi's water shortage problem."