Delhi minister on hunger strike for more water supply to Indian capital
New Delhi: The Indian capital city dwellers are facing acute water shortage and the Modi-led India government is least bothered to address water needs of the people. The Delhi municipal minister has gone on indefinite hunger strike demanding more drinking water for Indian capital, where taps in some of the poorest neighborhoods are virtually dry in the sweltering heat, India media reports revealed.
According to Kashmir Media Seervice, Delhi Water Minister Atishi on her fourth day of hunger strike stated, “There are 2.8 million people in the city who are aching for just a drop of water”.
Every summer, millions of Indians confront water shortages as demand grows in fields, businesses, and homes against a limited supply, but this year’s protracted heatwave has exacerbated the problem, particularly in Delhi and the southern tech powerhouse of Bengaluru.
The majority of Delhi’s water needs are met by the Yamuna River, which slows down during the dry summer months, generating shortages that spark demonstrations and requests for increased water conservation.
Atishi criticized the nearby farming state of Haryana for consuming a considerable amount of river water.
The Haryana government stated that Delhi’s mismanagement was causing water shortages. Experts said a federal review of decades-old water-sharing agreements was required to handle population growth.
Delhi, a city of 20 million people, is one of the world’s most densely inhabited capitals, with posh suburbs and groomed lawns only a few miles apart from unmanaged working-class areas and slums.
