Delhi's water shortage: SC questions state on action against 'tanker mafia'

Delhi water crisis: Quick response teams deployed by the Delhi government to combat leakages

As Delhi faces a water shortage, Water Minister Atishi has directed Quick Response Teams to inspect major pipelines and ensure there are no leakages. These teams, comprising officers at the Additional District Magistrate/Sub Divisional Magistrate level and tehsildars, will be responsible for providing water tankers and resolving water-related complaints.

This comes as the Supreme Court questioned the state government on what actions had been taken against the "tanker mafia" in the national capital.

"People are suffering, we are seeing visuals on every news channel. What measures have you taken to control water wastage if water scarcity is a recurring problem in summers," the bench observed

A vacation bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Prasanna B Varale told the Delhi government to stop tanks from spilling and wasting water. The apex court added that if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)- led state government could not deal with tankers, then the Delhi Police would be asked to handle the matter.

“At this time of water shortage, not a single drop of water can be wasted,” Atishi emphasised in her communication dated June 11, which was shared by the minister on X (formerly Twitter). She also highlighted the urgency of preventing water wastage due to leakages, especially given the current heatwave.

Atishi instructed the following to the Chief Secretary:

1. Ensure teams monitor and inspect the main water distribution network. These networks include water sources to treatment plants and from treatment plants to primary underground reservoirs.

2. Any detected leakages must be repaired within 12 hours to prevent water wastage during this critical time.

3. A daily report of all inspections by the Quick Response Teams will be submitted to her office by 5 pm each day.

The situation has also led to political tensions with the AAP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre blaming one another, as the water shortage continues.

Delhi’s water supply mainly comes from the Yamuna, Ravi-Beas, and Ganga rivers. The city receives 470 cusecs (approximately 254 MGD) of water from the Ganga via the Upper Ganga Canal in Uttar Pradesh. The prolonged heatwave has increased water demands in the city, while decreasing the Yamuna's water level.

Atishi had filed a plea seeking the immediate and continuous release of water at the Wazirabad barrage, including surplus water provided by Himachal Pradesh. The plea named the Centre, BJP-governed Haryana, and Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh. AAP accused the BJP government in Haryana of ‘stopping’ Yamuna’s water supply to Delhi. The city was supposed to receive 1,050 cusecs of water from the canal, but this was reduced to only 840 cusecs.

During a hearing on June 3, the court called for an urgent meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board on June 5 to address the water scarcity issue. Representatives from the Centre, Delhi, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh agreed to convene the meeting to tackle the crisis.

The Supreme Court, acknowledging the severe drinking water shortage in Delhi as an ‘existential problem’, directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital. Additionally, the court urged Haryana to facilitate the flow of this water without politicising the issue.

Today, the Supreme Court said, "Why were false statements made before this court? Water is coming from Himachal Pradesh then where is the water going in Delhi? There is so much spillage, tanker mafias... what measures have you taken in this regard."

The top court directed the Delhi government to file a report on the actions taken to combat loss of water.

The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

(With agency inputs)