The incredible change

Eight years ago I left Delhi with only three metro lines (yellow, red, blue) and a large number of under-construction flyovers and a sparkling new NCR coming up. Although I visited my home every five months, it was this time that I realised the actual change. The metro lines are now multi-coloured with a fast Airport Express. Also the flyovers are now almost complete with the concept of 'elevated corridors' under way. But the biggest change I saw was, however, in the behaviour of people around me with respect to water.

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I was shocked to see my neighbourhood aunty concerned about her daughter's diarrhea not because she was sick but because her frequent visits to toilet required more water in this condition. Also my mom, who used to wash her home daily, has resorted to cleaning it with a wet cloth and is thinking of buying a vacuum cleaner. The change is spectacular with people saving every drop. People have actually learnt a lesson but rather too late. 

My mom shouts at me even before I open the tap to shut it right away. I was surprised to hear when a woman just two streets away was shot dead because of a dispute over water. There are these water tankers from the Delhi government on arrival of which the whole brotherly locality turns into a 'fight club' with people enjoying a full hour of family entertainment from their balconies. I was surprised to see a three-year-old girl, who can hardly say her own name, running inside her house shouting 'tanker aa gaya' and taking a small mug to contribute to her family's water need.

The new problem has actually driven people to find new ways of 'water corruption'. Once my mom ordered a 2,000-litre tank with a neighbour to share 1,000 litres each as it costs a little less. The neighbor, while filling 1,000 litres first in their tank, opened the taps in their bathroom simultaneously so that their 1,000-litre marked tank fills late and they could have a little extra than what they would pay for. However, the supplier told the truth when my mom asked about the less water he gave us. My mom, however, kept quiet and surely made a point not to have this arrangement in future. 

The neighbouring Dwarka residents cannot even fight to satisfy themselves as this would bring down their reputation of living in the so-called 'posh' area. I never thought that water would come on wheels rather than through pipes when I left the city, nor did I have an idea that people would buy ACs not because they could afford these but because coolers consumed water. Also I never thought that our old tradition of offering water to a guest would turn into a mere proposal with ears eager to hear a 'No' to save that one glass and girls sitting in 'Navratri Pooja' would leave 'Prasad' and rush out because the water tanker was arriving.

The government, while building this huge infrastructure, forgot to cater to the most essential source of life. There seems to be no solution in the near future as Mr Kejriwal will stop the water supplier mafia to curb corruption before catering to an alternative source and also he seems to be dealing with more important issues like AAP infighting. One of my friends says that the days are near when parents will not approach Pandits  or priests for a suitable marriage date but instead the water suppliers for a date on which they can supply water required during the ceremony. Well, I can go on writing on the subject but I have to go as the water tanker has just arrived.