In Pics: Delhi's Acute Water Crisis Amid Record-Breaking Heat

The heatwave effect and shortage of piped water supply in parts of the city have crippled the lives of a large population of Delhi residents.

A supply shortfall of 60 million gallons per day attributed to a shortage of raw water at the Wazirabad water treatment plant is said to be the cause of the water scarcity. While many water tankers are deployed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to supply water in affected areas, the same cannot fulfil the requirement.

Residents have been queuing up their storage vassals, buckets, bottles, etc. since early morning and waiting for the DJB tankers to arrive to manage their everyday needs.

People in Delhi are suffering due to water scarcity, the top court observed on Wednesday, slamming the AAP government over water wastage and tanker mafia and seeking to know what steps it has taken to ease the recurring problem.

The heatwave effect and shortage of piped water supply in parts of the city have crippled the lives of a large population of Delhi residents.

According to conservative estimates, Delhi needs 1,300 million gallons per day, or MGD, of which the Delhi Jal Board produces only an estimated 1,000 MGD.

As Delhi residents reel under the double blow of a heatwave and water crisis, the Supreme Court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to release 137 cusecs of surplus water to the national capital and told Haryana to facilitate its flow.

Water Minister Atishi had said on Friday that water production in Delhi was decreasing continuously as less water was reaching the Yamuna river here.

Sharing data, Delhi Minister Atishi said water production on June 6 was 1,002 million gallons per day (MGD) and declined to 993 MGD the next day and 990 MGD on June 8.

It was 978 MGD on June 9 and 958 MGD the next day. On June 11, 12 and 13, water production was 919 MGD, 951 MGD and 939 MGD, respectively, the minister had said.