Residents of Rangpuri Pahari in South Delhi are facing a water crisis due to the current nationwide lockdown.

“There is not a drop of water left here,” said Rekha, a local resident. The past few days, she said, her son and nephew have been unsuccessful in reaching a nearby, privately owned borewell from where they get their daily supply, because of police heavy-handedness.

“My son tried to get water a couple of days ago but ran into police officers midway, who hit him with lathis and asked him to go back home,” said Rekha.

Also, unable to wash their hands, the residents are worried that they may contract coronavirus.

“There are more chances of my family getting affected with coronavirus. We take bath once a week because of a shortage of water”, said Chandrashekar, a waste picker in the area.

The slum is not connected to the water network of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and has not been receiving water tankers for around four months.

“There is no water available in our area. I walked till the ‘Jal Board’ office but still didn’t get any water. Where should I bring the water from? How will I take care of my children?” said Sushila Devi, another waste picker.

There are also no takers for waste that has accumulated at the site — such as plastic, rags, and cardboard because of the lockdown.

“Because of the lockdown, we are not able to work. And we don’t have soap and water, what should we do?,” said Sunil Kumar, a waste picker.

Their only appeal to the government is to help them and provide a simple, basic thing – water.

“We need water urgently. It is my request to anyone listening, please provide us water.” Sunil added.

UPDATE:

VICTORY: The people of Rangpuri Pahari finally got water the next day. The moment we shared, action was taken and a water tanker reached there area. Here’s how it happened.

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