200 teams, water wastage fine of Rs 2,000: Atishi's new guidelines amid water scarcity in Delhi

The fine will be imposed for washing of cars with pipes, overflowing water tanks and use of domestic water for construction and commercial purposes

Amid the issue of water shortage in the national capital, the Delhi government on May 29 directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to impose a fine of Rs 2,000 for water wastage.

Delhi Water Minister Atishi directed the CEO of the Delhi Jal Board to deploy 200 teams across the city starting May 30. These teams will be tasked with identifying and penalising anyone in the city found wasting water.

The fine will be imposed for washing of cars with pipes, overflowing water tanks and use of domestic water for construction and commercial purposes, according to an official statement.

These teams will be deployed from 8 am on May 30 to impose fines on anyone found wasting water. They would also disconnect any illegal water connections on construction sites or commercial establishments.

This comes a day after Atishi accused Haryana of not releasing Delhi's share of water since May 1 and said the government will be implementing a slew of measures including rationalising supply of water in the national capital.

She said that the Delhi government may approach the Supreme Court if the supply of Yamuna water to the city does not improve in coming days.

The minister also said that the government might be forced to issuing challans to people for activities like washing vehicles.

Meanwhile, the national capital also continues to grapple with extreme heatwave with temperatures soaring close to 50 degrees Celsius.

The city's Safdarjung observatory -- the official marker -- recorded its highest temperature on May 28, five notches above the seasonal average, at 45.8 degrees Celsius. However, on the outskirts of the city, in Mungeshpur and Narela, 49.9 degrees Celsius was recorded, nine notches above normal on Tuesday. Najafgarh was recorded at 49.8 degrees Celsius, while Pitampura and Pusa recorded 48.5 degrees.