Water crisis complaints on the rise, but MLAs fail to raise voice

Over the last one year, issues related to water supply and its pollution have emerged as the city's major civic woes, with the incidence of such complaints rising by as much as 51 per cent in 2016. This is despite the fact that providing sufficient amount of water was the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) major poll plank.

The complaints regarding water crisis in Delhi increased from 150,885 in 2015 to 227,444 in 2016.

What is rather unfortunate is, however, the fact that MLAs raised only 38 questions regarding the water crisis during the Assembly sessions held in 2016. As many as six legislators did not raise the issue at all.

This data was revealed in a survey done by the Praja Foundation, based on the civic complaints lodged by people, deliberations by MLAs in Assembly sessions, and corporators in the three municipal corporation from January, 2014 to December, 2016.

The number of pollution-related complaints by citizens increased from 86 in 2014 to 142 in 2015, and 216 in 2016. However, for the same three years, the number of times these issues were raised by councillors in ward committees, remained dismal. The MLAs raised 24 questions in 2015, which went down to 8 in 2016.

Even the BJP-led municipal corporations did not fare well as 83 questions were raised by them in 2015, and the number remained the same in 2016.

South Corporation's west zone reported the highest number of civic complaints. Outer Delhi's Narela topped the list.