Babus lock horns over water issue
15 Jun 2012 1:45 AM GMT
A day after Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit chaired a high level meeting to discuss the water crisis in the city, a war of words has broken out between a top Delhi Jal Board official and the chief secretary of Delhi.
While the former is questioning the logic behind Delhi government demanding excess water from Haryana, the latter is trying to shut him up.
Delhi Jal Board [DJB] Leakage Detection and Investigation Department had recently submitted a report to the chief minister, saying 480 MGD [million gallons per day] is enough for Delhi, provided that all the leakages and illegal tapping of water is checked.
Executive engineer OP Gaur, responsible for the report, is confident about his inference, saying that a huge amount of water is wasted across the city. And that if the government and DJB check this wastage, there will be sufficient water in Delhi and the government will not need to ask from any state.
Later, Chief Secretary Delhi, PK Tripathi lashed out against the officer, saying, ‘Gaur is a foolish officer. He needs to be condemned by DJB and Delhi residents for saying things like that. I will personally ask the CEO of DJB to take action against him.’
Sources said, Gaur had raised the same issue in Wednesday’s meeting between Dikshit and senior officials of DJB as well.
A senior officer from DJB, on the condition of anonymity, said, ‘Gaur’s report claims we have enough water supply, but this is not the case. Haryana officials will now think that Delhi has enough water, and then make an even stronger decision to not give water to the city. Ultimately residents are going to suffer.’
The current average demand of potable water in the city is around 1,100 MGD and DJB supplies around 800 MGD water across the city, after treating raw water in its plants.
Interestingly in 2004, 40 per cent of the total supply of water was wasted and in 2011, 65.8 per cent water was wasted through leakages in the pipes and callous attitude of the DJB officials.
While the former is questioning the logic behind Delhi government demanding excess water from Haryana, the latter is trying to shut him up.
Delhi Jal Board [DJB] Leakage Detection and Investigation Department had recently submitted a report to the chief minister, saying 480 MGD [million gallons per day] is enough for Delhi, provided that all the leakages and illegal tapping of water is checked.
Executive engineer OP Gaur, responsible for the report, is confident about his inference, saying that a huge amount of water is wasted across the city. And that if the government and DJB check this wastage, there will be sufficient water in Delhi and the government will not need to ask from any state.
Later, Chief Secretary Delhi, PK Tripathi lashed out against the officer, saying, ‘Gaur is a foolish officer. He needs to be condemned by DJB and Delhi residents for saying things like that. I will personally ask the CEO of DJB to take action against him.’
Sources said, Gaur had raised the same issue in Wednesday’s meeting between Dikshit and senior officials of DJB as well.
A senior officer from DJB, on the condition of anonymity, said, ‘Gaur’s report claims we have enough water supply, but this is not the case. Haryana officials will now think that Delhi has enough water, and then make an even stronger decision to not give water to the city. Ultimately residents are going to suffer.’
The current average demand of potable water in the city is around 1,100 MGD and DJB supplies around 800 MGD water across the city, after treating raw water in its plants.
Interestingly in 2004, 40 per cent of the total supply of water was wasted and in 2011, 65.8 per cent water was wasted through leakages in the pipes and callous attitude of the DJB officials.
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