Delhittes crowd around tankers as water crisis further deepens in national capital

Amid soaring temperatures, these scenes have become a daily occurrence in the national capital in many areas

New Delhi: Long lines of people were seen queuing up on Saturday to fetch water from tankers across parts of the national capital, as the city continued to sizzle in the summer heat.

Morning visuals showed people from Chilla Gaon of Mayur Vihar area, Sanjay Colony, Okhla area, and Geeta Colony area standing in queues, holding onto cans and buckets and crowding around water tankers amid water shortage in the national capital this summer.

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Amid soaring temperatures, these scenes have become a daily occurrence in the national capital in many areas since the start of the summer season this year.

Meanwhile, amid the political tug-of-war on the water crisis, Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi sat on an indefinite hunger strike on Friday, alleging that the Haryana government is not releasing Delhi’s share of water. She was accompanied by Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh and other members of the party at Bhogal, near Jangpura where she sat on the hunger strike.

She paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before heading to Bhogal. In the meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s wife Sunita Kejriwal read a message from the Chief Minister, who is under judicial custody and said Arvind Kejriwal is hurt to see Delhi’s public suffering from water scarcity.

Sunita Kejriwal stated, “Kejriwal says that when I see on TV, the way Delhi people are suffering due to water scarcity, it hurts me. I hope Atishi’s ‘tapasya’ will succeed and residents of Delhi will get relief. I wish all the best to Atishi, may God protect her.” However, the Bharatiya Janata Party has continued to attack the Delhi government over the water crisis.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj alleged the crisis has been “orchestrated” by the AAP government to “encourage corruption”. “It almost seems that this crisis, which is not a natural crisis, has been orchestrated by the Kejriwal government to encourage their own corruption as well as to encourage the illegal tanker mafia,” Bansuri Swaraj said.

“Delhi is in a dire state. The entire city is parched and the Kejriwal government is indulging only in theatrics. Delhi minister Atishi instead of working on the ground and instead of taking any adequate steps is now indulging in mere theatrics and is now threatening Delhiites with anshan (fast),” she added.