New Delhi, 13 June

Police here on Thursday began patrolling the Munak canal area to check the activities of tanker mafia and Delhi minister Atishi inspected a pipeline network supplying water to South Delhi residents as the water crisis in the city worsened.

A senior officer said police teams have set up pickets and started patrolling the 15-kilometre stretch of the canal on the Haryana borders, supplying water to the national capital. The canal enters Delhi from Bawana and reaches the Haiderpur Treatment Plant.

Teams from Bawana, Narela Industrial Area, Shahbad Dairy and Samai Pur Badali police stations have been tasked with patrolling the Munak Canal and its nearby areas. "Police personnel have been asked to prevent anyone from taking water from the canal in their tankers," the officer said.

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police chief to ensure a strict vigil along the Munak canal to prevent the theft of water and sought an action taken report within the week.

Meanwhile, Delhi Water Minister Atishi, accompanied by senior officials of Delhi Jal Board and Revenue Department, inspected the South Delhi Mains pipeline network that supplies water from the Sonia Vihar water treatment plant to millions of people across South Delhi, she said in a post on 'X'.

The plight of Delhiites braving an unprecedented high summer heat has been further aggravated by an acute shortage of water supply.

The Delhi government is ensuring through patrolling by additional district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates across the city so that not even a single drop of water is wasted due to leakage from the main pipelines, Atishi said in her post.

Delhi is getting less water and the production at water treatment plants has decreased. In such a situation, wastage of water will not be tolerated, she said.

During the inspection, Atishi told PTI Video that the production of water has gone down by 40 MGD in Delhi and unless Harayna releases more water for the city through the Yamuna, the shortfall cannot be met.