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Delhi HC Demands Water Quality Check After 14 Shelter Deaths: ‘Too Many To Be Coincidence’

August 5, 2024, 2:32 pm

The Delhi High Court has ordered the Delhi Jal Board to test the water quality and check the condition of sewer pipelines at the Asha Kiran shelter home in Rohini. This decision follows the recent deaths of around 14 residents at the shelter in July.

The court also instructed the Delhi government’s social welfare secretary to inspect the shelter and report on the living conditions there.

Justices Manmohan and Tushar Rao Gedela, who were hearing the case, noted that such a high number of deaths in a short period cannot be a coincidence. They highlighted that all the deaths were linked to tuberculosis (TB).

The court has directed the authorities to relieve congestion at the shelter home. If there are too many residents, the shelter will need to be decongested, and the occupants should be moved to suitable alternative accommodation.

ED Raids in Four Cities; Seizes Rs 41 Lakh Amid STP Scam Allegations at Delhi Jal Board

July 5, 2024, 3:18 pm

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) disclosed that during a search operation across Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, they seized cash amounting to Rs 41 lakh, along with incriminating documents and digital evidence. These actions were part of their probe into alleged corruption in the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) projects of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), conducted by the agency’s Delhi Zonal Office on July 3.

The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR filed by Delhi’s Anti Corruption Branch against Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case involves alleged irregularities in the awarding of tenders worth Rs 1,943 crore for upgrading and augmenting 10 STPs across Delhi.

According to the ED, the tenders were awarded to three joint venture companies, which allegedly colluded to secure the contracts. The investigation found that the tendering process may have been manipulated to favor these specific entities, resulting in inflated costs and substantial losses to the public funds.

The ED also highlighted discrepancies in the tendering process, including the adoption of restrictive conditions that favored only a few companies and the acceptance of unverified experience certificates from Taiwan. Additionally, it was revealed that the awarded contracts were subsequently subcontracted to Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd.

Overall, the ED’s findings suggest serious irregularities in the awarding and execution of these contracts, underscoring the need for thorough investigation and legal action against those responsible.

NDMC Reports Water Supply Dip, Blames Wazirabad Plant For Shortfall

June 19, 2024, 8:33 am

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is grappling with a severe water supply disruption, attributing it to reduced raw water availability from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The situation has impacted several key areas in Lutyens Delhi, highlighting ongoing challenges in water management amidst operational constraints at water treatment plants.

Details of the Situation:

NDMC Vice-Chairperson Satish Upadhyay addressed the media, revealing that the council received only 70-80 million litres per day (mld) from DJB, significantly below the normal supply range of 120-130 mld. This shortfall has led to reduced water pressure and occasional muddy water in affected areas such as Bengali Market, Tilak Marg, Gole Market, and several hospitals including RML Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital.

Impact and Operational Challenges:

Despite the supply reduction, Upadhyay clarified that taps have not yet run dry. However, the operational issues at Delhi’s water treatment plants, particularly at Wazirabad and Haiderpur, have hampered production. The Wazirabad WTP, crucial for NDMC areas, is experiencing a 60% shortfall in supply, exacerbating the situation at critical reservoirs like those at Tilak Marg and Bengali Market.

Mitigation Efforts and Government Response:

To alleviate the situation, NDMC has deployed 10 tankers to provide water to affected areas, with additional surface water tanks installed in major JJ clusters. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has acknowledged the issue and sought increased water release from Haryana. However, the Haryana government has cited its inability to provide additional water resources at this time.

Infrastructure Concerns and Future Outlook:

Challenges persist with the dysfunction of 18 flow meters in the New Delhi area, complicating accurate measurement of daily water supply and hindering effective management. With the situation expected to endure, residents and authorities brace for continued difficulties in water distribution and management across the capital.

The water supply disruption in New Delhi underscores critical water management issues exacerbated by low raw water availability and operational challenges at treatment plants. As stakeholders navigate these challenges, efforts to mitigate the impact on residents and institutions remain a priority amidst ongoing discussions for sustainable solutions.

Heatwave: Delhi Struggles For Water–Watch

May 31, 2024, 12:34 pm

As the relentless heatwave continues to grip Delhi with no relief in sight, residents face yet another pressing issue: a looming water scarcity in the city.

This situation has affected many residents gravely, as they continue to struggle to meet their basic water needs.

Watch Here: –

#WATCH | Delhi: Due to the water crisis, people are facing problems in many areas of Delhi. Water is being supplied to the people through tankers.

(Visuals from Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area) pic.twitter.com/5HgqL7tj5O

— ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2024

#WATCH | Delhi: Due to the water crisis, people are facing problems in many areas of Delhi. Water is being supplied to the people through tankers.

(Visuals from Geeta colony area) pic.twitter.com/p1abxPRJbs

— ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2024

These above two footages provide a glimpse of the water crisis, which continues to plague the city.

In these videos, a large number of residents are seen desperately filling their buckets from water tankers deployed by authorities to provide water to affected areas.

Earlier, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) announced a significant shortage in the city’s daily water supply.

Currently, it now stands at 969 million gallons per day, which is 321 MGD lesser than the needed amount of 1,290 MGD.

Delhi water crisis: Amid Water Shortage, People Fill Water From Delhi Jal Board

May 30, 2024, 7:09 pm

The Delhi government has taken urgent steps to address the severe water crisis in the national capital amid an unprecedented heatwave. Measures include directing the Delhi Jal Board to penalize water wastage with a ₹2,000 fine and prohibiting the use of potable water at construction sites.

Delhi Minister Atishi announced the ban on using Delhi Jal Board’s drinking water for car washing and repair centers due to the critical water shortage. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will commence inspections to ensure compliance with these regulations. Atishi emphasized the need for collective action during this heatwave emergency.

Restrictions Amid Delhi’s Water Crisis:

1. Establishment of a Central Water Tanker War Room by the Delhi government, with 200 enforcement teams to curb water wastage.

2. Prohibition on using Delhi Jal Board’s drinking water for car washing, construction sites, or commercial purposes.

3. Ban on using pipes to wash cars in Delhi.

4. Monitoring of overflowing water tanks by enforcement teams.

5. Disconnection of illegal water connections at construction sites and commercial establishments.

6. Urgent appeal to Delhi residents to use water responsibly, warning of potential water supply rationalization due to the crisis.

Additionally, areas previously receiving water twice daily will now receive water once in 24 hours.

“From tomorrow, teams of DPCC will conduct inspections of car washing and repairing centres. I want to appeal to people of Delhi… right now, Delhi is facing an emergency situation because of heatwave,” the Delhi minister said.

Atishi urges LG for suspension of Jal Board CEO citing woman’s death during scuffle

April 15, 2024, 8:11 am

Expressing deep concern about the recent tragedy in East Delhi, where a woman lost her life in a dispute over alleged water supply inadequacy, Atishi, a prominent leader of the AAP party and a minister in Delhi, has called upon Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to take urgent action. Atishi urged for the immediate suspension of the CEO of Delhi Jal Board within 24 hours, holding him accountable for what she described as “criminal negligence” occurring under his oversight.

In addition to this, Atishi has also appealed to L-G Saxena to address the broader issues regarding water supply in the national capital. In a letter dated April 14, she detailed the incident, stating, “A shocking incident has happened in the Farsh Bazar/ Bhikam Singh Colony area of East Delhi where shortage of water supply led to violence, and has culminated in the death of a woman.” She emphasized that both the Chief Minister and herself had provided clear directives and a roadmap for improving water supply over the past year. Despite repeated instructions given to the CEO of Delhi Jal Board and the Chief Secretary over the last six months, no significant action has been taken to alleviate the water crisis in the city.

Atishi highlighted the numerous reminders sent to the CEO of DJB and the chief secretary in recent weeks to ensure water supply augmentation, including the installation of tube wells and water tankers. She expressed frustration over the lack of response, noting, “Grievances regarding water shortage have regularly been sent to Chief Secretary on WhatsApp.” She further mentioned a specific instance on April 3, 2024, where she demanded an action-taken-report on steps being taken by DJB, only to receive a dismissive response from the CEO citing the Model Code of Conduct.

The minister condemned the ‘callous inaction’ of the DJB officers, attributing it directly to the tragic loss of life in East Delhi. She called for immediate and exemplary action against those responsible, asserting, “This inaction is tantamount to criminal negligence and cannot be ignored.” Atishi also alleged a deliberate effort to hinder DJB’s funding, which she claimed has paralyzed the board for nearly a year due to non-release of funds by the Finance Department.

In conclusion, Atishi urged the L-G to promptly address the situation and take decisive action against those accountable for the water shortage, emphasizing the urgency in preventing such tragedies from occurring again. Previously, a 15-year-old girl was apprehended by Delhi police for allegedly stabbing a woman during a dispute related to water supply in Shahdara’s Farsh Bazar area.

DJB to begin campaign to identify sewer networks to minimise leakage

December 28, 2023, 3:06 am

The Delhi Jal Board will soon begin a campaign to identify all sewer networks so that leakages can be reduced, sources said on Wednesday.
The ‘walk the sewer network’ campaign is slated to begin in the first week of January, 2024.

“In the campaign, all sewer networks will be identified by engineers so that the issue of sudden leakages can be tackled better. The pipelines sometimes get old and it is not easy to identify since the sewer networks are not planned,” a source at DJB said.
“The lines are changed whenever an issue arises, but with this campaign the problem can be minimised,” the source said.

According to the source, the DJB’s ‘Maintenance Week’ campaign that deals with providing assistance on water and sewer-related issues has been extended till December 31.
“This campaign is all about identifying the critical areas in the zones and rectifying it in a speedy manner,” the source said.

On Tuesday, the DJB also started a ‘Jan-Sampark camp’ at more than 150 locations across the national capital. According to officials, the board has been reaching out to all its consumers at over 150 locations for information and grievances pertaining to billing, new connection, disconnection and metre-related issues.

Arvind Kejriwal orders CAG audit of Delhi Jal Board following allegations of corruption

December 6, 2023, 12:40 pm

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered a CAG audit of the water board’s last 15 years after the opposition questioned the Delhi Jal Board’s financial practices. the finance department’s objections and worries about mismanagement and financial irregularities.

CM Kejriwal said “Opposition is levelling some allegations. So, with this, (audit) everything will be crystal clear. We have ordered a CAG audit of the Delhi Jal Board for the last 15 years. If someone has done something wrong, they will be punished. If there is no discrepancy, the truth will come out.”
He further said that due to non-release of funds, a huge problem of water and sewerage is going to arise in the entire Delhi.

“If this entire bureaucracy is not accountable to the elected government, it will become impossible to run the government. At present, due to funds not being released to the Jal Board, a huge problem of water and sewerage is going to arise in the entire Delhi. They are not releasing Delhi Jal Board’s second instalment of grant-in-aid,” Kejriwal said.

Previously, Bhartiya Janata Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being ‘crime master Gogo’, a fictional character who dupes people and accused the AAP government of discrepancies in the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) tendering process for upgrading its sewage treatment plants.

The BJP leader said ten sewage treatment plants in the city were divided into two categories and only upgradation was to be done in the first category, while in the second category, the work was related to increasing the capacity.
Delhi Minister Atishi also wrote to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena demanding suspension and disciplinary action against Finance Secretary Ashish C. Verma for allegedly stopping funds of Delhi Jal Board citing non-release of funds can lead to a public health crisis soon.

Delhi High Court seeks an update on the status of the removal of cattle from city’s roads

October 23, 2023, 1:41 pm

A new status report regarding the gathering of cows and buffaloes on the roads of the nation’s capital and the actions taken in this regard has recently been requested by the Delhi High Court. After receiving instructions from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the BSES regarding further action taken in the matter, Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the Counsel for the Delhi Government to file a new status report.

“It is made clear that mere filing FIRs and writing letters to BSES and DJB will not solve the problem. This Court expects a concrete action to be taken by respondents before the next date of hearing,” Justice Prasad said in the order passed on October 16.
The matter has been listed on December 7, 2023, for further hearing.

The Delhi Government and civic authorities are being ordered by the high court to remove the herd of cows and buffaloes blocking the road in a petition filed in 2022. Additional guidance from the relevant department has been requested by petitioner Satish Sharma in order to conduct routine inspections and prevent the congregation of cows and bulls on the road. During the hearing, it was stated that the respondents have taken a number of measures to prevent cows and buffaloes from congregating on the road since the filing of the current writ petition.

LG Saxena has set a deadline of June 30 for cleaning the Yamuna

April 9, 2023, 4:12 pm

On Sunday, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena set a deadline of June 30 for cleaning the Yamuna River in the National Capital. He also said he would not object if any minister wanted to claim credit for their job.

“River Yamuna will be cleaned in Delhi by June 30. I have no objection if any minister wants to take credit for our work,” LG VK Saxena said without naming anyone. “The cleaning of Yamuna is going on at a fast pace. Najafgarh drains are being cleaned. 15-16 drains have also been fixed. We will clear the 22 km stretch of Yamuna in Delhi by that time. The work of cleaning the filth on the banks of the Yamuna is also going on in mission mode. We cleaned the Qudsiya Ghat in 15 days,” he said.

Previously in March, VK Saxena chaired a meeting to devise ways for the revival of the Najafgarh Lake on the Delhi-Haryana Border, which is pivotal to the overall cleaning of River Yamuna in the national capital, an official release said.

Through the in-situ treatment plant, the amount of ammonia will be reduced in the water to such an extent that when the treated water is sent from there to the water treatment plant, that water can be completely treated there and become potable. Delhi Jal Board aims to get rid of this problem within 6 months, a press note from the Delhi government stated earlier.

As a matter of fact, the water that Delhi gets from Haryana through the Yamuna is treated in the Wazirabad and Chandrawal water treatment plants of the city. Officials said that since December 11, Delhi is getting almost zero river water from Haryana. The water that is visible in the Yamuna near the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant is not actually of the Yamuna, but the industrial waste from Panipat and Sonipat, which is coming into the Yamuna through their drains.

The amount of pollutant elements in this water is so high that it is very difficult to cure it with a water treatment plant. Officials said that several letters have also been written by the Delhi Jal Board to the Haryana government on the issue of polluted water coming into the Yamuna. But the Haryana government has not taken any cognizance of those letters.

To avoid surcharge, Delhi residents can pay Delhi Jal Board dues by 31 December

October 11, 2022, 3:18 pm

The state government has said that the Delhi Jal Board, headed by deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, has decided to re-start its scheme for the waiver of the late payment surcharge on pending water bills for consumers who clear their arrears by December 31 on Monday.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “Now you can pay your old bills without worrying about the late fee.”The scheme will be applicable on all pending bills till September 30 and will remain operative till March 31, 2023.An official of DJB said, “While the consumers who clear their outstanding arrears till December 31 will get 100% waiver on late payment surcharge, those who opt to make payments on outstanding arrears during the period of January 1, 2023 till March 31, 2023 will be provided 75% waiver.”This will be the fifth such scheme announced by the DJB over the last 10 years.The same official also said, “With 5% late fee on monthly bills, more than 60% on outstanding amount gets increased only on account of late payment surcharge during one financial year.” A second DJB official stated that the last waiver scheme was operational till March 31 last year and the board currently has accumulated water bill amounts worth ₹27,628.79 crore.