National Capital Grapples With Water Crisis, But Minister Has No Answer | WATCH

New Delhi: Delhi is grappling with both record-breaking temperatures and a severe water crisis, yet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj appears indifferent. The city's extreme heat and dwindling water supply present a critical challenge, demanding urgent attention and proactive measures from the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal. However, the political tussle over the water crisis in Delhi shows no signs of abating. For the unversed, the national capital has been reeling under a severe water crisis for weeks now with little to no supply amid searing heatwave conditions, with the shortage being met by private water tankers. 

When confronted by Republic TV about the water crisis, Saurabh Bharadwaj dodged all questions on the issue, instead, he deflected attention by asking the reporter to focus on another topic—the NEET scam—which Republic TV and Republic World) had been extensively covering. Republic TV also pressed him on the recent viral video of a Bawana MLA where he is seen threatening people affected by the water crisis, to which Bharadwaj had no response. Watch the video below. 

Delhi Water Crisis: Politics Intensified

Meanwhile, the politics over the water shortage has intensified as the ruling AAP accused the BJP of "deliberately creating" the situation to trouble the people, even as the BJP held 'matka phod' protests blaming the Kejriwal government for the crisis. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh alleged that the crisis has been "deliberately created" by the BJP to keep the people of the city thirsty. "For the last several days, there has been a BJP-sponsored water crisis. I want to tell you that BJP people want that the people of Delhi should not get water and for this, they are trying their best to put Delhi in a water crisis...," the AAP leader alleged.

Singh accused the BJP of working to deepen the crisis and shared data on the decline in water production from June 6 to June 13. Hitting back at AAP, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said although the government's job was to solve problems, the government in Delhi has itself become a problem. "Whether it is Water Minister Atishi or MP Sanjay Singh, instead of fulfilling their responsibilities and addressing water leakage and theft, they hold press conferences on their self-created artificial water crisis just to stay in the news," he said.

Last week, Delhi BJP leaders and MPs, along with party workers, held demonstrations across the national capital, slamming the AAP government over the water crisis. Carrying bottles of dirty water, the BJP protesters raised slogans against the AAP government and smashed 'matkas' (earthen pitchers) as a mark of protest over water scarcity in the national capital.  

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has warned residents in its area of the decreased supply from the Delhi Jal Board. It said the reduced supply can affect many posh areas such as Bengali Market, Ashoka Road, HC Mathur Lane, Copernicus Marg, Purana Quila Road, Babar Road, Barakhamba Road, K G Marg, Windsor Place, Firozshah Marg, Canning Lane and surrounding areas which house key buildings. "As informed by DJB, the production of potable water from the Wazirabad water plant is not running at full capacity due to the non-availability of raw water. Hence, water supply in the command area of Tilak Marg underground water reservoir (UGR) and Bengali Market UGR will be made available once a day, preferably in the morning," an NDMC official said.