Dwarka wants water before its expansion

New Delhi, August 12 Locals come together against the new zonal plan, say they have been shortchanged
Residents of parched Dwarka are up in arms against the DDA. They have started a movement against any further expansion of the subcity before its basic facilities are in place. People from various villages and group housing societies have joined hands to demand a halt on further development plans by the DDA, when basic infrastructure is missing.
While the subcity has been reeling under severe water crisis ever since it came up, civic agencies have been passing the buck.

Members of Dwarka Forum, an umbrella body of various Dwarka RWAs and the Dwarka Kshetra Gram Sangathan, on Tuesday met the DDA vice chairperson and voiced objection to its New Zonal Plan, which opens up Dwarka zone for further expansion.
“We’ve submitted our objections and suggestions to the DDA with regard to the Dwarka Zonal plan, as we have serious reservations,” said environmentalist Diwan Singh, on behalf of the forum.

“Dwarka subcity was ill-conceived in the first place. While approving its water scheme, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) did not assure it would supply potable water. Scores of villages here are largely dependent on groundwater, which cannot last very long,” said Singh. These problems were voiced on Tuesday during a hearing conducted by the objections and suggestions committee of the DDA.

Diwan Singh and P S Singh (convenors, water sub-committee) attended the hearing as representatives of Dwarka Forum. “We objected to the fact that even after the DJB refused to commit to any filtered water supply, the DDA went ahead with the construction of Dwarka subcity. We have also handed over a copy of the reply received under the Right To Information Act from the DJB, stating their refusal to commit to water supply for the Dwarka and Vasant Kunj projects. This is nothing but sheer irresponsible behaviour on part of the DDA. It went ahead with its urbanising plans, though potable water was missing,” said P S Singh.

“If the government is adamant on further expansion, it should only happen after the existing residents of the city are able to get sufficient water supply on a sustained basis,” he added.
Dwarka villagers, on their part, complained that it was unjust on part of the DDA to give filtered water to Dwarka, leaving the original inhabitants of the area at the mercy of tubewells, which now yield brackish water.

“The groundwater level in our villages has gone down alarmingly, almost a 100 feet in last 10 years, while the salinity renders it almost unusable. The level of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) has gone up from 1,500 to 2000, whereas the normal level should be 150 TDS,” said Suraj Bhan, convenor of the Dwarka Kshetra Gram Sangathan, from village Dhul Siras.
“Filtered water supply should first be made available to villagers and only after that to Dwarka or any other colony,” said Raj Karan from village Badu Sarai.
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