Saumya Shukla

The narrow lanes of Ghitorni village, straddling the border of Delhi and Haryana, paint a distressing picture of deprivation. Amidst the relentless heatwave sweeping the national Capital, residents find themselves bereft of basic necessities like water.

In an interaction with The Pioneer, villagers recount how the affluent, leveraging their connections with officials from the Delhi Jal Board and the Delhi Government, secure water from DJB tankers.

Meanwhile, the less fortunate are forced to rely on costly private tankers and motors, a burden that digs deep into their pockets. The water crisis is so severe that many are abandoning their homes in search of better living conditions.

The stark disparity in access to this essential resource underscores a troubling narrative of inequality and neglect.

A 65-year-old Batti said her tenants, who helped to add to the family’s income, are gone and no one is ready to stay because of such scarcity of water. “Pyas se mar rahe hai hum (We are dying of thirst). Let alone DJB tankers, we are not even getting private tankers despite we are ready to pay for it. The DJB only gives water to those who have connections and settings with them,” she said.

The old lady shared her plight of standing in the scorching sun to collect water, which still is not sufficient for the family the whole day. “There is no water in Ghitorni. Why won’t people leave if we are living in such bad conditions,” she said.

Sanjeev, a 40-year-old man, was near tears narrating how he tried to approach everyone, including AAP’s Chattarpur MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar about the scarcity of water but nothing happened except fake promises. He said he was left with no option but to start buying water from private tankers, which cost Rs 6,000 for 1,000 litre of water to be shared by three families of 15 members for a week.

He said his two children, between the age of 10 and 12, also help him in his work.

“Look at our conditions. DJB tankers come for the people that have contacts. This whole Bansh Mahaula is suffering due to water woes and this is not the story of one lane, many are without access to water in the area. We buy water from private tankers to sustain ourselves but tell me how long can a common man afford this?” the man said, who just returned from his night duty in the morning and got busy with arranging water for his home.

A 62 year old Kamlesh asked if this is her age to stand in the heat and fill water. “Tell me, should I be standing here doing this in such bad heat or resting? These little kids should be enjoying their summer holidays, instead of lifting such heavy vessels,” she said, while questioning the government over not fixing the situation despite it recurring year after year.

Anvesh, another resident, stated how two neighbouring families have shifted to Noida because of the water shortage, while sharing how there is corruption in getting water from DJB tankers. “Ofcourse, these people are given some money in exchange for bringing water for the few families here. Do you know two families living just near to me have shifted to Noida and why shouldn’t they? Even we will go if this doesn’t end soon,” he said.

Vessels containing water were kept at a place just near the drains, which were clogged and unclean, at a time when vector borne diseases are at their peak. Anvesh shared how the sanitation  workers rarely visit and when they do, they hardly clean the area.

Amid dozens of electricity wires and motors, where one motor was even having a short circuit, people gathered around to fill as much water as they could. Shubham, a 20 year old boy, said despite many requests to the government and the concerned authorities, no water tanker has come for them. Pondering on the same, he said he remembers that the last tanker that came to the village was last summer.

Manuved, 60 years old, shared that he received a bill of 3,050 rupees because he is forced to fill water from the motor while he watches government tankers coming for some influential people. “Only some houses receive water from the DJB tankers because they have their contacts. We are living in hell,” he said.

Anita, 49 years old, stated, “Previously, the water tankers did come sometimes but this time around no one has come for over two months. Our landlord gives us some water to fulfil our needs. We did face some problems in the summer but this time it’s far more serious. We also have to arrange water from other places as well though.”