In Delhi slums, people queue for drinking water — ignoring social distancing norms

• Chilla village in the national capital Delhi gets to ‘fill’ water only once in four days, thanks to the extended lockdown in view of Coronavirus.
  
• A large number of people in the village in East Delhi lined up in long queues to collect drinking water from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) trucks.
  
• According to a recent report, rural India depends on government water tankers for up to 25 litres of water per person, per day.
  
• For these people, who face drinking water shortage, it is a luxury to avail even the cheapest way to contain the spread of Coronavirus — washing hands with soap.

Chilla village in the national capital Delhi gets to ‘fill’ water only once in four days, thanks to the extended lockdown in view of Coronavirus. Water shortage is a way of life for millions in India.

A large number of people in the village in East Delhi lined up in long queues to collect drinking water from the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) trucks. "We have to queue up for at least three hours to collect drinking water due to shortage of water. The water tanker comes only once in 3-4 days,” the residents told news agency ANI. Getting water is more important than social distancing.


This was after nearly 3,639 Delhi Jal Board officials started to work from home after March 22. According to a recent report, rural India depends on government water tankers for up to 25 litres of water per person, per day.

This is not a one off case either. The shortage of water in slums is an ongoing challenge. "We've always had an issue getting water. But since the lockdown, most private water tankers have refused to come and when one does, it runs,” says a resident of Sangam Vihar in Delhi. A slum with over a million population gets no access to public piped water.

According to a 2012 survey, 85% of the households in Delhi do not have piped water connections. And due to the lockdown, even the supply from private tankers has come to a halt.

The situation is not very different in other areas. In Chennai, water tanker supply in some areas has been reduced by up to 50%, a source told Business Insider. While in Hyderabad, some areas receive one water tanker every alternate day.

Washing hands with soap a luxury

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, repeatedly. But for these people, who face drinking water shortage, even the cheapest way to contain the spread of Coronavirus — washing hands with soap — is a luxury.

According to Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Director of Programmes, “handwashing with soap is one of the cheapest, most effective things you can do to protect yourself and others against coronavirus, as well as many other infectious diseases. Yet for billions, even this most basic of steps is simply out of reach.”

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