‘20kl free water is nothing but a waste of resource’
NEW DELHI: The AAP government's decision of providing 20,000 litres of free water to each household per month will result in a gross waste of this precious resource, claim experts. This will mean each person in a family of four will be entitled to about 166 litres of free water per day. Since the per capita need is not so high, 60-70 litres per day is sufficient , they say.
They also raise concerns as to where will the government source water from and how it will manage the excess water that will be generated.
The water distribution pattern in Delhi is already quite skewed. "Our study has shown that parts of Lutyens' Delhi get about 500 litres per capita per day (LPCD) while places like Mehrauli get only 22 LPCD. You can see people washing their SUVs with DJB water. But the real per capita need is obviously much lower than 500 LPCD. A more realistic LPCD figure needs to be worked out," said Sushmita Sengupta of Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) water programme unit.
The other issue Sengupta is worried about is how AAP will fulfil its promise when there is already a demand-supply gap. "It may be done through groundwater extraction, but this is also not sustainable," she added. CSE recommends implementing rainwater harvesting on a large scale. According to its analysis, volume of rainwater that can be generated from the city is approximately 56 billion cubic metres annually.
Some environmental groups said they didn't expect such an "unsustainable promise" from the AAP government. "While there is certainly a case for highly subsidized water supply for the poor, it is nothing short of a social crime to supply free water to those who can pay," said a statement from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA). In 2013, critics had ripped apart AAP's claim of providing 700 litres of free water per household per day. They had urged the CM to revise the amount to 50 LPCD.
Vikram Soni of Jamia Milia University said the government's move will add to the city's air and water pollution. "Such policies will further aggravate air and water pollution. For instance, will they deliver so much water in tankers to those who don't have supply? Will that not add to air pollution?"
‘20kl free water is nothing but a waste of resource’ - The Times of India
---------------------------------------------------------------
Societies bulk users, left high & dry
NEW DELHI: The government has extended the benefits of the free lifeline water to group housing societies this year. However, few are likely to get any advantage from it.
Group housing societies are bulk consumers to whom Delhi Jal Board supplies a huge quantum of water each month. There are around 2,500 such societies registered with DJB. Residents pay a fixed amount to the society as maintenance charges, irrespective of how much they consume. This was the main reason for not including group housing societies in the ambit of the lifeline water sop in 2014, leaving residents of areas like IP Extension, Dwarka and Rohini bereft of advantages of the scheme.
This time, the AAP-led government has included group housing societies, clearly without giving much thought to how it will be implemented. While sources claimed that it is now DJB's responsibility to implement it, the water utility plans indicate that this time too the advantages of this scheme are unlikely to reach most such residents.
"Based on the number of occupied flats in a society, we will calculate their free water entitlement. For instance, if there are 100 flats, the free water supply will be 2,000 kilolitres per month. If consumption is more, then the entire amount will be paid for. There is no other mechanism," said sources.
The flaw in the system can be seen immediately. Families consuming less — small families or single persons — will be dependent on the usage pattern of other residents in the society to be able to reap any benefit. Individual flats do not have meters which makes it impossible to gauge consumption. "My husband and I live in a flat in IP Extension. Our consumption is definitely less than 20,000 litres per month. It is highly unfair that we will be dependent on consumption of our neighbours, all families with 4-6 members, to avail of this scheme," said Vandana Garg, a consultant.
Dwarka was left out last time since water supply to the area was DDA's responsibility. It will officially benefit from Delhi government's scheme this time since DJB will take over supply possibly by the end of this month, though it will also face similar problems of unequal consumption.
Societies bulk users, left high & dry - The Times of India
Kejriwal = piece of shit communist
