No water in our taps

I have recently moved into a rented accommodation in Sant Nagar, East of Kailash because of its proximity to my office in Greater Kailash. I was told that water supply in the area would be erratic but there are motors and automated systems in place to ensure every house gets water.

While the first month went by without any water trouble, we started facing problems in May. Direct water supply, which is only for like two hours in the morning wasn’t available. Our water tanks ran dry and I went to a friend’s place because there wasn’t a single drop of water in the house.
Our landowners got the motor and automatic system checked just to make sure nothing was wrong with them. For a week or so, the water supply was regular.

As of May 22, it has been three days that the water supply has been insufficient. Our tankers fail to fill up because the pressure is too low. On Sunday, we had to call for a private water tanker and shell D600 just to get out 1000 litre water tanker filled.

The water lasted us three days. We are four people living in a 3bhk apartment and we are all working. It is a nuisance to come back from the office and find that there is no water. I do early morning shifts in office and before leaving, I fill up a few buckets with water, just so that there is something to use in time of an emergency.

What we have found out is that all households in our area are facing water problems. Our supply has broken due to some reason. Almost every other day, our landlady comes with a plumber, trying to temporarily restore water. Just today, we got some new water pipes put in place.

Water shortage is an issue in Amar Colony too, which is close to our area. People say that they have made multiple complaints to the Delhi Jal Board and they have been told that some meetings are taking place. Some residents have dug borewellls and that’s where they are getting their supply from.
We are tired of these temporary solutions and it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the house with such an erratic water supply. We are already paying our monthly water bills and in spite of that have to spend money on private tankers and plumbing.

— As told to Shruti Das