To fix Delhi's water services, look at its power reform story

AN AUTONOMOUS WATER UTILITY WITH EMPOWERED, PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP, STRONG ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS, AND REQUISITE FUNDING IS WHAT DELHI NEEDS

- Vandana Bhatnagar

As Delhi braces for another scorching summer, the prospect of water shortages and harried calls for expensive water-tankers looms large. This has become an annual feature, with the summer of 2024 bringing severe water shortages and, tragically, a fatality caused by a water dispute.

In contrast, Delhi's power services do not evoke the same sense of foreboding when summer arrives. In June 2024, power demand reached an all-time high of 8,656 MW, yet Delhi experienced minimal disruptions.

But this was not always the case. What is often forgotten is that Delhi's water and electricity services had similar trajectories for over 40 years, from 1957 until 2000. Initially, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi managed both services through the Delhi Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Undertaking and the Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking. In 1992, these services were transferred to the newly formed Delhi state government, with the creation of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) in 1998 and the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) in 1997. They mirrored each other in not just institutional arrangements, but also their inefficiency and poor service levels.