Restore, recharge, and reuse to conserve water

In recent years, Delhi's water crisis has returned with predictable consequences.

- DHAVAL DESAI

Residents queue for tankers, neighbourhoods complain of shortages, groundwater levels fall further, and a political blame game erupts across state borders. This raises an uncomfortable question: If Delhi has invested heavily in expanding water infrastructure and securing supplies from neighbouring states, why has annual water insecurity become its defining feature?

The answer lies in acknowledging that Delhi's water crisis is increasingly a crisis of governance. More than 90% of its total water supply of ~1,000 million gallons per day (MGD) is imported from neighbouring states, leaving it vulnerable to interstate disputes, seasonal fluctuations, infrastructure failures, and increasing competition for water across northern India.

Even today, Delhi faces a demand-supply gap of ~250 MGD. As the Capital's population continues to grow, reliance on external sources is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Delhi cannot import its way out of future water stress.

However, scarcity alone does not explain the crisis. The larger challenge is that the city has failed to fully utilise its available water resources. In a normal precipitation year, Delhi receives an average of 744.4 mm of rainfall, mostly concentrated in the monsoon months.