Although elections in Delhi are on Saturday i.e., on 25th May 2024 but the national capital still struggles with crisis of water.

Central Delhi's Baljeet Nagar, Ramakant waits for the water tanker to chug up the steep narrow lane of his neighbourhood. "Pipes have been laid in this area but the water doesn't reach us," the 63-year-old complains, as reported by IndianExpress.

Unlike the posh localities of Rajinder Nagar and Karol Bagh which surround their settlement of unauthorised colonies and jhuggi-jhopdi (JJ) clusters, Ramakant and his neighbours are dependent on tankers. "We have to go to the JE's office every time we need one," he says.

Around 18 km away in North Delhi's Burari, Shaligram Gupta, Rama Shankar Tripathi and Prahlad Singh buy water cans, each costing Rs 20, for their daily consumption as supply in their locality is "irregular and contaminated". "We get water once in two-three days, but it is not drinkable... only sometimes it is clean," they complain.

With the Lok Sabha election in Delhi three days away - and temperatures soaring to as high as 47 degrees Celsius in some parts - irregular water supply and its quality are top issues for those living in JJ clusters, slums and unauthorised colonies. Many households are forced to rely on tankers or buy cans to meet their daily needs. Often, tempers flare and fights break out over the precious resource. Only last month, in Northeast Delhi's Shahdara, a 34-year-old woman was stabbed to death following a quarrel over using water from a community tap.

The Capital depends on neighbouring states to meet around 90% of its drinking water demands. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) gets raw water from four sources: 389 MGD (million gallons per day) from the Yamuna river; 253 MGD from the Ganga; 221 MGD from the Ravi-Beas river; and 90 MGD from groundwater. The water is then treated before distribution. Water from all these sources, however, amounts to 953 MGD, falling short of the city's estimated demand of 1,380 MGD.