AAP demands pipeline protection amid Delhi water crisis; BJP blames Kejriwal government

Delhi Water Crisis

Amid a severe water crisis in Delhi, water minister Atishi has requested police protection for pipelines to prevent sabotage. In a letter to Delhi police commissioner Sanjay Arora, Atishi claimed that the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) patrolling teams found signs of tampering at several spots, potentially worsening the city's water shortage.

"I am writing to request deployment of police personnel to patrol and protect our major pipelines for the next 15 days to stop miscreants or people with ulterior motives from tampering with water pipelines, which have now become Delhi's lifelines," Atishi stated. She mentioned a significant leakage in the South Delhi Rising Mains, where several bolts were cut, indicating possible foul play.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a protest against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva blamed the water crisis on the Kejriwal-led government, citing issues of water theft and wastage. BJP MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat, protesting in Najafgarh, criticized the Delhi government for not addressing internal departmental issues.

"We have been receiving calls from Dwarka RWAs about water shortages. Private water tankers are costly, and government tankers are unavailable. The pipes are broken, wasting a lot of water," Sehrawat said.

AAP MLAs reached out to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil to seek intervention in the crisis. AAP MLA Dilip Pandey mentioned their attempts to contact Patil for an appointment, but they were informed he was unavailable.

Atishi also appealed to Haryana to release additional water into the Yamuna river, citing a shortage of 70 million gallons per day (MGD) in Delhi due to the lack of raw water. The city's water production dropped from the normal 1,002 MGD to 932 MGD.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva held the AAP government responsible for the crisis, attributing it to water theft and mismanagement. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj echoed this sentiment, criticizing AAP for failing to maintain infrastructure and reduce DJB’s financial losses.

"Every day, I have to pressure DJB officials for water tankers. AAP has reduced the DJB from a ₹600 crore profit to a ₹73,000 crore loss in ten years. Despite IMD's heatwave warnings in March, no infrastructure repairs were made," Swaraj claimed.

(With inputs from PTI)