Residents Left Alone to Tackle Muddy, Foul-Smelling Water Crisis
Delhi residents Sukh Sagar Sahni, Jatin Midha and Arvind Mehta! (Images Bhawna Malik)
Senior citizens and families in New Rajinder Nagar face contaminated water, erratic supply, and official apathy despite repeated appeals to Delhi Jal Board, MLA Umang Bajaj, and local authorities.
By Bhawna Malik
NEW DELHI, August 30, 2025 —Residents of New Rajinder Nagar in Delhi are reeling under a severe water crisis, struggling with foul-smelling, muddy, and contaminated water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). Despite repeated complaints to elected representatives and officials, no action has been taken, leaving senior citizens and families to fend for themselves.
At 4:30 AM every morning, senior citizen Parveen Chopra, who recently underwent knee replacement surgery, climbs up to check if his water tank has received supply — only to find mud, pebbles, and sand. “Despite repeated complaints on residents’ WhatsApp groups and even the MLA Connect group, there has been no respite,” says Chopra. He adds that MLA Umang Bajaj’s team promised a DJB inspection, but the helpline number remains switched off.
Sukh Sagar Sahni, another senior citizen, laments, “Every other area gets water supply twice a day, why not us? The quality and quantity are pathetic. My Aqua Guard is choked with mud, and we are forced to buy bottled water.”
The crisis is particularly alarming in a locality with a large population of senior citizens and young children, who are vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Several residents report stomach infections and skin rashes. Preety Patni, a worried mother, questions: “Can kids bathe with this water? Can elders keep climbing buildings to check tanks? For how long can we rely on bottled water?”
For over a week, residents have shared videos and photos of filthy water, but pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Left with no option, they turned to the Joint Forum Residents Welfare Association (RWA).
“This is not just about water. Residents face multiple issues — encroachments, poor roads, and security lapses. But water scarcity is the most pressing. Despite handing over a 25-point charter to MP Bansuri Swaraj, MLA Umang Bajaj, and MCD Councillor Arti Chawla in February 2025, no one has visited the area since,” says Arvind Mehta, President of the Joint Forum RWA.
Jatin Midha, General Secretary of the Forum, explains that Rajinder Nagar depends on two reservoirs — Bhuli Bhatiyari (built in 1939) and R Block Ridge Road. The Bhuli Bhatiyari reservoir often falls short. Though NGT and court permissions exist to build a second reservoir by cutting 40–45 trees, no progress has been made in five months.
“We met Minister Parvesh Verma, MLA Umang Bajaj, and CM Rekha Gupta with the court order, but nothing moved. We’re only asking for clean water twice a day — is that too much?” says Midha.
Frustrated, the residents are preparing to take a tougher stand. “We have supported our leaders long enough. If they don’t act, we will,” warn Mehta and Midha in unison.
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