Wastage of water in Delhi may now land you in a hot soup and with a hole in the pocket as the Aam Aadmi Party government here has decided to adopt a heavy-handed approach amidst intense heatwaves and water crisis. Delhi has been experiencing record-breaking heat for the last few days, with the mercury touching 49.9 Celsius on Wednesday (May 29). In the backdrop of the heatwave and acute water crisis, the Delhi government has now decided to impose fines on residents for washing cars or any wastage like letting their tanks overflow.&nbsp;As per media reports, water supply may also be restricted, with areas now receiving water twice a day getting it only once.

Delhi Water Minister Atishi said Tuesday, "Even today I saw that in many residential areas of South Delhi, water is flowing in the driveways outside people’s houses due to washing of vehicles. My appeal to everyone is that you should not wash vehicles this way. If this public appeal does not work in the next one or two days, it is possible that we may have to impose a challan on excess usage of water. But right now we are issuing this appeal.”

“To address the problem of water scarcity, we have taken a slew of measures such as reducing water supply from twice a day to once a day in many areas… The areas which currently get water twice a day, will get once a day now… the water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” Atishi said. 
 
In a tweet, she said, "Have issued directions to crackdown on wastage of water and illegal water connections. 200 teams of Delhi Jal Board will hit the ground. Fines will be imposed on anyone washing cars with pipes or with overflowing water tanks. Illegal water connections at construction sites and at commercial establishments will be disconnected."

She also directed CEO DJB to deploy 200 teams to check wastage and impose a fine of Rs 2000.&nbsp; 
 
The minister, meanwhile, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in neighbouring Haryana state of stopping the flow of the Yamuna River into Delhi.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwijrteTzbKGAxW3XWwGHfnWAD4QxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-water-crisis-aaps-atishi-accuses-bjp-of-stopping-yamuna-flow-hatching-water-conspiracy-724363" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-water-crisis-aaps-atishi-accuses-bjp-of-stopping-yamuna-flow-hatching-water-conspiracy-724363&amp;ved=2ahUKEwijrteTzbKGAxW3XWwGHfnWAD4QxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">Delhi water crisis: AAP's Atishi accuses BJP of stopping Yamuna flow, hatching 'water conspiracy'</a>

"We should stand together and think about everyone…Today, we are in a very difficult situation where water supply to Delhi is being stopped by the Haryana government… Please co-operate and use the water judiciously…,” she said.

She also threatened to approach the Supreme Court of India if "Haryana government does not resolve the issue."

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwijrteTzbKGAxW3XWwGHfnWAD4QxfQBKAB6BAgMEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/man-from-indias-delhi-dies-after-taking-slide-in-water-park-in-noida-probe-launched-report-708939" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/man-from-indias-delhi-dies-after-taking-slide-in-water-park-in-noida-probe-launched-report-708939&amp;ved=2ahUKEwijrteTzbKGAxW3XWwGHfnWAD4QxfQBKAB6BAgMEAE">Man from India`s Delhi dies after taking slide at water park in Noida, probe launched: Report</a>

Delhi is largely dependent on neighbouring states to meet its water demands, with 64 per cent coming from Haryana and the rest from Uttar Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies)

Wastage of water in Delhi may now land you in a hot soup and with a hole in the pocket as the Aam Aadmi Party government here has decided to adopt a heavy-handed approach amidst intense heatwaves and water crisis.

Wastage of water in Delhi may now land you in a hot soup and with a hole in the pocket as the Aam Aadmi Party government here has decided to adopt a heavy-handed approach amidst intense heatwaves and water crisis. Delhi has been experiencing record-breaking heat for the last few days, with the mercury touching 49.9 Celsius on Wednesday (May 29). In the backdrop of the heatwave and acute water crisis, the Delhi government has now decided to impose fines on residents for washing cars or any wastage like letting their tanks overflow. As per media reports, water supply may also be restricted, with areas now receiving water twice a day getting it only once. Delhi Water Minister Atishi said Tuesday, "Even today I saw that in many residential areas of South Delhi, water is flowing in the driveways outside people’s houses due to washing of vehicles. My appeal to everyone is that you should not wash vehicles this way. If this public appeal does not work in the next one or two days, it is possible that we may have to impose a challan on excess usage of water. But right now we are issuing this appeal.” “To address the problem of water scarcity, we have taken a slew of measures such as reducing water supply from twice a day to once a day in many areas… The areas which currently get water twice a day, will get once a day now… the water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” Atishi said. In a tweet, she said, "Have issued directions to crackdown on wastage of water and illegal water connections. 200 teams of Delhi Jal Board will hit the ground. Fines will be imposed on anyone washing cars with pipes or with overflowing water tanks. Illegal water connections at construction sites and at commercial establishments will be disconnected." She also directed CEO DJB to deploy 200 teams to check wastage and impose a fine of Rs 2000. The minister, meanwhile, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in neighbouring Haryana state of stopping the flow of the Yamuna River into Delhi. Also read: Delhi water crisis: AAP's Atishi accuses BJP of stopping Yamuna flow, hatching 'water conspiracy' "We should stand together and think about everyone…Today, we are in a very difficult situation where water supply to Delhi is being stopped by the Haryana government… Please co-operate and use the water judiciously…,” she said. She also threatened to approach the Supreme Court of India if "Haryana government does not resolve the issue." Also read: Man from India`s Delhi dies after taking slide at water park in Noida, probe launched: Report Delhi is largely dependent on neighbouring states to meet its water demands, with 64 per cent coming from Haryana and the rest from Uttar Pradesh. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Car washing banned,’ Delhi govt introduces fine for wasting water amidst acute shortage

Officials in Delhi on Saturday (May 14)&nbsp;said that they are barely meeting the demand for drinking water in multiple regions&nbsp;as the Yamuna river is drying up under the scorching weather while Haryana failed to respond to SOS calls, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

Haryana provides 610 million gallons of water per day to Delhi via the Yamuna and two canals (CLC and DSB).&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-deadly-heat-wave-govt-issues-guidelines-for-schools-asks-to-modify-timings-478327">India's deadly heat wave: Govt issues guidelines for schools,&nbsp;asks to modify timings</a>

The Wazirabad pond level has decreased to 670.70 feet, the lowest elevation earlier was at 671.80 feet. Last year in July, the pond level had decreased to 667 feet, forcing the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to petition the Supreme Court and request&nbsp;Haryana to release additional water into the river. The DJB earlier has already written to Haryana Irrigation Department thrice: April 30, May 3 and May 12.

The heatwave has been scorching Delhi for the past two days, IMD issued an ‘orange’ warning in many sections of the city and predicted that the temperatures could reach 46-47 degrees Celsius.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Earth could heat up at alarming levels in 5 years

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-earth-could-heat-up-at-alarming-levels-in-5-years-477989/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The DJB department sent water tanks to areas facing water shortages as a part of its Summer Action Plan and is attempting to supplement water suppliers through water tubes.&nbsp;

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/as-india-reels-under-deadly-heat-wave-report-makes-glaring-revelations-478557">&nbsp;Heatwave Alert! If CO2 levels double by 2050, Delhi to turn 5 degrees warmer from 2080 to 2099, says report</a>

To accommodate the water demand the Delhi government said last month that it will provide nearly 1,000 million gallons of water per day during the summer season, up from 935 MGD previously. During the peak season of April to July, 1,198 water tankers will be deployed across the national capital to prevent water shortages.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

(With inputs from agencies)

Officials in Delhi on Saturday (May 14) said that they are barely meeting the demand for drinking water in multiple regions as the Yamuna river is drying up under the scorching weather while Haryana failed to respond to SOS calls, news agency PTI reported.

Officials in Delhi on Saturday (May 14) said that they are barely meeting the demand for drinking water in multiple regions as the Yamuna river is drying up under the scorching weather while Haryana failed to respond to SOS calls, news agency PTI reported. Haryana provides 610 million gallons of water per day to Delhi via the Yamuna and two canals (CLC and DSB). Also read | India's deadly heat wave: Govt issues guidelines for schools, asks to modify timings The Wazirabad pond level has decreased to 670.70 feet, the lowest elevation earlier was at 671.80 feet. Last year in July, the pond level had decreased to 667 feet, forcing the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to petition the Supreme Court and request Haryana to release additional water into the river. The DJB earlier has already written to Haryana Irrigation Department thrice: April 30, May 3 and May 12. The heatwave has been scorching Delhi for the past two days, IMD issued an ‘orange’ warning in many sections of the city and predicted that the temperatures could reach 46-47 degrees Celsius. Watch | Gravitas: Earth could heat up at alarming levels in 5 years The DJB department sent water tanks to areas facing water shortages as a part of its Summer Action Plan and is attempting to supplement water suppliers through water tubes. Also read | Heatwave Alert! If CO2 levels double by 2050, Delhi to turn 5 degrees warmer from 2080 to 2099, says report To accommodate the water demand the Delhi government said last month that it will provide nearly 1,000 million gallons of water per day during the summer season, up from 935 MGD previously. During the peak season of April to July, 1,198 water tankers will be deployed across the national capital to prevent water shortages. WATCH WION LIVE HERE: (With inputs from agencies)

Delhi grapples with water shortage amid heatwave

By&nbsp;Asit<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/asit-k-biswas-361607"> K. </a>Biswas,&nbsp;Cecilia<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cecilia-tortajada-325645"> </a>Tortajada&nbsp;and Udisha<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/udisha-saklani-380210"> </a>Saklani*

As summer temperatures soar above 40&deg;C in New Delhi, <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/parched-delhi-water-crisis-jal-board-djb-dda-summer-city-struggles-to-get-enough-water-4667380">acute water shortages</a> are gripping parts of India&rsquo;s capital. Signs of <a href="http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/delhi-ranked-second-among-worlds-most-waterstressed-cities-45456">water stress</a> are now everywhere, and residents in southern and western parts of the city have not received a regular, reliable water supply for months.

Water shortages are becoming something of an annual ritual in Delhi, the world&rsquo;s <a href="https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/publications/files/wup2014-highlights.Pdf">second most populous city</a>. By 2030, it is estimated <a href="https://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/publications/files/wup2014-highlights.Pdf">to grow by 11 million, from 14 million residents to 25 million</a> &ndash; a megacity atop a megacity.

Without any changes in the city&rsquo;s water management policies, the prospect of all those urban residents having access to water is grim.

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A man bathes under a broken water pipeline in New Delhi, India June 5, 2017 (Reuters)
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Unsustainable water policies

Delhi&rsquo;s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises <a href="http://www.delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/74fc0a8049fb1e4f84afcee4899821f2/Tariff+14.08.2015.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&amp;lmod=-820044332&amp;CACHEID=74fc0a8049fb1e4f84afcee4899821f2">20,000 litres of free water per household per month</a>. Assuming a household has five members, this means some 130 litres per capita per day should be available every day.

This plan is hampered by several basic problems. First and foremost, the city does not actually have enough water to make it happen, nor does it have enough money to give all this water away for free. Currently, some neighbourhoods have access to water just <a href="http://www.safewaternetwork.org/sites/default/files/Safe%20Water%20Network_Delhi%20City%20Report.PDF">one to two hours a day</a>

Reliable data on individual consumption is not available, as numerous households in Delhi still lack functional meters, but leakage, thefts and losses also reduce the available water supply.

In 2016, the Delhi Jal Board (the hindi word jal means water), which is responsible for the city&rsquo;s drinking and waste water management, estimated total distribution <a href="http://delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/d624c0004054d4aabea4fea1527a7156/ch-13.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&amp;lmod=-888712437&amp;CACHEID=d624c0004054d4aabea4fea1527a7156">losses of around 40</a>&nbsp;per cent. Many cities in both the developed and developing world have losses in the 4 per cent&nbsp;to 20 per cent&nbsp;range.

As a result, Delhi must actually produce daily 182 litres per person for individuals to receive their allotted 130 litres.

Even this 130 litres target is flawed, because it&rsquo;s arbitrary. A person can live a perfectly healthy life at around 75 lpcd. In many European cities, <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/drastic-action-needed-to-cut-water-use-here-world-water-day">including Malaga in Spain, and Leipzig in Germany</a>, per capita daily water consumption is 92 litres or less.

In Delhi, people in high-income households may consume up to a staggering <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/features/homes-and-gardens/how-much-water-does-an-urban-citizen-need/article4393634.ece">600 litres</a>. As the country&rsquo;s <a href="https://ecell.in/eureka13/resources/tracking%20the%20growth%20of%20indian%20middle%20class.pdf">middle class continues to grow</a>, the need to build awareness of water as a scarce resource and instil conservation practices among the citizenry will grow more urgent.

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A waterlogged street in Delhi. How can a city with so much rain face water shortages? (Reuters)
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Neglecting natural resources

Anyone who has ever lived in or travelled to Delhi during monsoon season, between June and September, can testify to its water-clogged roads and overflowing sewers. How can a place with so much rain suffer from serious water scarcity?

The answer is a basic one: mismanagement of resources. In the southern and <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/groundwater-table-dips-across-delhi/article6274363.ece">southwestern districts of the city</a>, which are particularly affected by both water shortages and flooding, harvesting rainwater holds particular potential.

In 1965, Singapore had water-management indicators similar to those of Delhi. Today, it reports that just <a href="https://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/unaccountedforwater">5 per cent&nbsp;of its supply is unaccounted for</a>, thanks to significant <a href="http://www.eco-business.com/news/singapore-tokyo-among-top-ten-best-cities-urban-sustainability">water reuse, desalination, storm water storage and conservation efforts</a>.

Delhi has imposed <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-hc-upholds-rule-on-rainwater-harvesting-in-buildings-on-plots-500-sq-m-or-more-2826522">mandatory norms</a> for installing rainwater harvesting structures and created financial incentives. But because of a lack of oversight, these reforms have not lead to <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Rainwater-harvesting-remains-a-mirage/articleshow/52841649.cms">large-scale adoption of available technologies</a>.

Surface sources of clean water are admittedly limited as well; untreated waste water and industrial effluents are routinely discharged into Delhi&rsquo;s water bodies.

The Yamuna River, near Delhi, is <a href="https://thewire.in/150756/ganga-water-project-agra/">an important source of drinking water</a> for downstream cities. But it has been an <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/yamuna-pollution-supreme-court-seeks-report-on-sewage-treatment-plants/articleshow/57257387.cms">open sewer for decades</a>.

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Boys pose for a selfie in front of the foam covering the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi, November 2016 (Reuters)
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According to estimates of Central Pollution Control Board, every day, almost 40 per cent&nbsp;of untreated sewage from Delhi either seeps into the ground or <a href="https://theconversation.com/could-bio-toilets-solve-indias-sanitation-problems-and-save-the-yamuna-river-67727">is discharged into the Yamuna River</a>. The fact that other sources report this figure <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-60-of-sewage-remains-untreated-in-delhi-2070947">at 60</a>&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;is telling: wastewater-treatment facilities are not only lacking &ndash; they are abysmally poorly managed.

Ill-planned housing projects and an ever-expanding number of <a href="http://www.delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/f91b008046c5ef03bddbfd7d994b04ce/water+policy_21112016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&amp;lmod=604996771">private water pumps</a>, installed by households, industries and companies that wish to ensure an uninterrupted personal water supply, have also severely damaged groundwater tables.

The myriad of institutional challenges facing Delhi&rsquo;s water board exacerbate these supply- and management-side issues.

First, the Delhi Jal Board&rsquo;s chief executive is always an Indian administrative service officer, a high-ranking civil servant likely to be transferred at any moment to another position. The average job tenure of 18 to 30 months does not favour effective performance or strategic planning. In this short time, a CEO must learn all about water, gain a complete understanding of the city&rsquo;s existing programs and infrastructure and, ideally, conceive of executable initiatives to upgrade the system.

To fulfil such gargantuan tasks satisfactorily and develop a strategic plan for the future, a term of six to eight years would be more reasonable.

Nor do the corrupt practices of many water board staffers help. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/DJB-suspends-14-engineers-for-corruption/articleshow/29021662.cms">In 2015, for example, engineers and officers</a> from the board were suspended for cheating and forgery regarding water equipment. This does not help the organisation&rsquo;s functioning or credibility among residents.

Making Delhi sustainable

Here&rsquo;s the good news: for the first time in at least two decades, the Delhi Jal Board seems to have competent and effective leadership. <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/delhi/report-delhi-jal-board-introduces-water-atms-in-capital-2428111">A few water ATMs</a>, which dispense drinking water at a significantly cheaper price than bottled water, have been installed in a few locations across the city.

Thanks in part to aggressive social media advertising, these are gaining popularity among residents.

<figure>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lUNob8TEjxo?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440"></iframe>

Water &lsquo;ATMS&rsquo; have been introduced in the capital since 2014 to mitigate water shortage.

<figcaption>
The <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221458181400010X">concept of &ldquo;constructed wetlands&rdquo;</a> &ndash; a pilot <a href="http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/rashtrapati-bhawan-to-use-wetlands-to-treat-sewage/527966/">project proposed in 2009</a> which features an artificial marsh made of plants that absorb the impurities in water &ndash; has also been moved forward. The project aims to clean up an eight-kilometre stretch of <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/aap-delhi-drain-cleanup-yamuna-najafgarh-drain-israeli-firm-roped-in/1/877490.html">supplementary waste water drain</a> that, like most of Delhi&rsquo;s waste water, dumps into the Yamuna river.
</figcaption>
</figure>

Other <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/clean-up-plans-fail-in-muddy-yamuna-ngt-seeks-action/story-AtwS15hXrAzDmgynzqSRxH.html">programs to clean up the Yamuna have thus far failed</a>. If successfully completed, Delhi&rsquo;s wetlands pilot may be replicable in the many other Indian cities facing water shortages <a href="https://theconversation.com/indias-wells-are-running-dry-fast-78372">thanks in part to polluted waterways</a>.

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Slum dwellers carry filled water container from a tanker provided by the state-run Delhi Jal Board (Reuters)
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<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/80402/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />There is no intrinsic reason why Delhi residents could not have a reliable supply of water that can be drunk straight from the tap, 24 hours a day, without any health concerns or interruptions, within the decade. But it will take a lot of political work, from both within and beyond the Delhi Jal Board, to get there.

&nbsp;

*Asit<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/asit-k-biswas-361607"> K. </a>Biswas:&nbsp;Distinguished Visiting Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

Cecilia<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cecilia-tortajada-325645"> </a>Tortajada: Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore&nbsp;

Udisha<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/udisha-saklani-380210"> </a>Saklani:&nbsp;Independent Policy Researcher, National University of Singapore

<section>&nbsp;</section>

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-delhi-is-running-out-of-water-80402">original article</a>.

Acute water shortages are gripping parts of India?s capital and there is little hope for the situation to change.

By Asit K. Biswas, Cecilia Tortajada and Udisha Saklani* As summer temperatures soar above 40°C in New Delhi, acute water shortages are gripping parts of India’s capital. Signs of water stress are now everywhere, and residents in southern and western parts of the city have not received a regular, reliable water supply for months. Water shortages are becoming something of an annual ritual in Delhi, the world’s second most populous city. By 2030, it is estimated to grow by 11 million, from 14 million residents to 25 million – a megacity atop a megacity. Without any changes in the city’s water management policies, the prospect of all those urban residents having access to water is grim. A man bathes under a broken water pipeline in New Delhi, India June 5, 2017 (Reuters) × Unsustainable water policies Delhi’s current water policy, instituted by the ruling left-wing Aam Admi Party in 2015, promises 20,000 litres of free water per household per month. Assuming a household has five members, this means some 130 litres per capita per day should be available every day. This plan is hampered by several basic problems. First and foremost, the city does not actually have enough water to make it happen, nor does it have enough money to give all this water away for free. Currently, some neighbourhoods have access to water just one to two hours a day Reliable data on individual consumption is not available, as numerous households in Delhi still lack functional meters, but leakage, thefts and losses also reduce the available water supply. In 2016, the Delhi Jal Board (the hindi word jal means water), which is responsible for the city’s drinking and waste water management, estimated total distribution losses of around 40 per cent. Many cities in both the developed and developing world have losses in the 4 per cent to 20 per cent range. As a result, Delhi must actually produce daily 182 litres per person for individuals to receive their allotted 130 litres. Even this 130 litres target is flawed, because it’s arbitrary. A person can live a perfectly healthy life at around 75 lpcd. In many European cities, including Malaga in Spain, and Leipzig in Germany, per capita daily water consumption is 92 litres or less. In Delhi, people in high-income households may consume up to a staggering 600 litres. As the country’s middle class continues to grow, the need to build awareness of water as a scarce resource and instil conservation practices among the citizenry will grow more urgent. A waterlogged street in Delhi. How can a city with so much rain face water shortages? (Reuters) × Neglecting natural resources Anyone who has ever lived in or travelled to Delhi during monsoon season, between June and September, can testify to its water-clogged roads and overflowing sewers. How can a place with so much rain suffer from serious water scarcity? The answer is a basic one: mismanagement of resources. In the southern and southwestern districts of the city, which are particularly affected by both water shortages and flooding, harvesting rainwater holds particular potential. In 1965, Singapore had water-management indicators similar to those of Delhi. Today, it reports that just 5 per cent of its supply is unaccounted for, thanks to significant water reuse, desalination, storm water storage and conservation efforts. Delhi has imposed mandatory norms for installing rainwater harvesting structures and created financial incentives. But because of a lack of oversight, these reforms have not lead to large-scale adoption of available technologies. Surface sources of clean water are admittedly limited as well; untreated waste water and industrial effluents are routinely discharged into Delhi’s water bodies. The Yamuna River, near Delhi, is an important source of drinking water for downstream cities. But it has been an open sewer for decades. Boys pose for a selfie in front of the foam covering the polluted Yamuna river in New Delhi, November 2016 (Reuters) × According to estimates of Central Pollution Control Board, every day, almost 40 per cent of untreated sewage from Delhi either seeps into the ground or is discharged into the Yamuna River. The fact that other sources report this figure at 60 per cent is telling: wastewater-treatment facilities are not only lacking – they are abysmally poorly managed. Ill-planned housing projects and an ever-expanding number of private water pumps, installed by households, industries and companies that wish to ensure an uninterrupted personal water supply, have also severely damaged groundwater tables. The myriad of institutional challenges facing Delhi’s water board exacerbate these supply- and management-side issues. First, the Delhi Jal Board’s chief executive is always an Indian administrative service officer, a high-ranking civil servant likely to be transferred at any moment to another position. The average job tenure of 18 to 30 months does not favour effective performance or strategic planning. In this short time, a CEO must learn all about water, gain a complete understanding of the city’s existing programs and infrastructure and, ideally, conceive of executable initiatives to upgrade the system. To fulfil such gargantuan tasks satisfactorily and develop a strategic plan for the future, a term of six to eight years would be more reasonable. Nor do the corrupt practices of many water board staffers help. In 2015, for example, engineers and officers from the board were suspended for cheating and forgery regarding water equipment. This does not help the organisation’s functioning or credibility among residents. Making Delhi sustainable Here’s the good news: for the first time in at least two decades, the Delhi Jal Board seems to have competent and effective leadership. A few water ATMs, which dispense drinking water at a significantly cheaper price than bottled water, have been installed in a few locations across the city. Thanks in part to aggressive social media advertising, these are gaining popularity among residents. Water ‘ATMS’ have been introduced in the capital since 2014 to mitigate water shortage. The concept of “constructed wetlands” – a pilot project proposed in 2009 which features an artificial marsh made of plants that absorb the impurities in water – has also been moved forward. The project aims to clean up an eight-kilometre stretch of supplementary waste water drain that, like most of Delhi’s waste water, dumps into the Yamuna river. Other programs to clean up the Yamuna have thus far failed. If successfully completed, Delhi’s wetlands pilot may be replicable in the many other Indian cities facing water shortages thanks in part to polluted waterways. Slum dwellers carry filled water container from a tanker provided by the state-run Delhi Jal Board (Reuters) × There is no intrinsic reason why Delhi residents could not have a reliable supply of water that can be drunk straight from the tap, 24 hours a day, without any health concerns or interruptions, within the decade. But it will take a lot of political work, from both within and beyond the Delhi Jal Board, to get there. *Asit K. Biswas: Distinguished Visiting Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Cecilia Tortajada: Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore Udisha Saklani: Independent Policy Researcher, National University of Singapore This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

New Delhi is running out of water this summer