As Delhi reaches a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius, water crises have mingled with the other challenges faced by the citizens. In view of the emergency, Delhi Water Minister Atishi announced that washing cars using a hose or allowing water tanks to overflow may soon result in fines for excessive water use.
Accusing Haryana of blocking Delhi’s share of water since May 1, Atishi said that the matter will be submitted to the Supreme Court if not resolved soon. She stated, “The Yamuna water level at Wazirabad was 674.5 feet on May 1, and it has reduced to 669.8 feet today… The average water level should be maintained… Last year in April, May, and June, the minimum level was maintained at 674.6 feet. But when Haryana does not release enough water to Delhi, the raw water amount reduces and the water treatment plants in different areas also slow down.”
Considering that 26.5 percent of Delhi’s water comes from Uttar Pradesh and 64 percent from Haryana, and given the soaring water demands in Delhi, Atishi appealed, “Even today I saw that in many residential areas of South Delhi, water is flowing in the driveways outside people’s houses due to vehicle washing. My appeal to everyone is that you should not wash vehicles this way. If this public appeal does not work in the next one or two days, it is possible that we may have to impose a fine for excessive water usage. But right now, we are issuing this appeal.”
To address the problem of water scarcity, Atishi mentioned that several measures have been taken, such as reducing the water supply from twice a day to once a day in many areas. “The areas which currently get water twice a day will now get it once a day… the water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” Atishi said.
The city’s official weather station at Safdarjung recorded a temperature of 45.8 degrees Celsius. However, the outskirts of Mungeshpur, Narela, and Najafgarh reported temperatures above 49 degrees Celsius.
Delhi continues to be under the grip of the heatwave, with recorded temperatures of 49 degrees Celsius in the outskirts of Mungeshpur, Narela, and Najafgarh, and 45.8 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung. Delhi University also broke its previous records for the highest maximum temperatures, recording 47.6 degrees Celsius and 47.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
