Lekhi protests against poor supply of water

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 11 

Meenakshi Lekhi, MP from New Delhi parliamentary constituency, on Tuesday protested outside the Delhi Jal Board’s RK Puram office against poor water supply in her constituency. 

She claimed that even municipal areas were facing water shortage and many places in her constituency lacked piped water supply.

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB), however, said it had been supplying water beyond its capacity and the BJP was “politicising the issue” instead of helping people.

“Lady Hardinge staff quarters, upper regions of Anand Parbat and Baljit Nagar lack piped water supply. In the areas of Naraina, Krishna Nagar and Arjun Nagar, which have piped water supply, there’s no water for the past 10-15 days,” Lekhi said.

“There are regions that complain of pathetic water quality. In Munirka village, sewage gets mixed with potable water,” she alleged.

“I think the Delhi Government’s priorities are misplaced. Most women in Delhi are suffering due to water paucity and Kejriwal wants to give them free rides in the Metro,” she said.

Lekhi said women waste hours standing in queues to collect water from tankers where some fall into conflict with each other.

The DJB’s water distribution system was old and ailing and no work had been done on this for around 30-35 years, she said.

Dinesh Mohaniya, vice chairman, DJB, who is an AAP MLA, said the BJP had been politicising the issue.

“In many areas, liken Anand Parbat, geographical constraints don’t allow the DJB to lay water and sewer pipelines. They always tell half truth,” he said.

“It’s not that only Delhi has been facing issues. The entire country is reeling under a severe heat wave and facing water scarcity. We have been supplying water beyond our capacity. Our supply hasn’t declined, but the demand has been increasing due to the oppressive heat,” Mohaniya said. “All rivers, lakes and ponds across the country are running dry,” he alleged.