Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, on Tuesday, launched round-the-clock clean drinking water supply in Pandav Nagar DDA flats under Central Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar assembly constituency. On the occasion, Kejriwal set an example by drinking the water from a tap. “We promised clean water to every household in Delhi 24×7; today, I feel proud to announce that the mission has begun,” he declared.

Accompanied by Delhi CM Atishi and local MLA Durgesh Pathak, the AAP chief reaffirmed his commitment to meet the city’s water requirement of 1,250 MGD in the coming years. He called it an important occasion as it has been a dream for everyone that Delhi should receive clean drinking water directly from taps, that too round the clock, even on the third or fourth floor of a building, without the need of pumps.

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The AAP supremo said he visited a few homes, drank water directly from the taps before pouring it into a glass in front of cameras to drink it. He said when the AAP came to power in Delhi back in 2015, around 50-60 per cent of the city depended on water tankers with an alleged huge tanker mafia at work.

Kejriwal claimed that after remaining in power for 10 years, the ruling AAP has ensured more than 97 per cent of the city receives water through pipelines. However, the entire city doesn’t get 24×7 water or clean water directly from taps.

The journey towards that goal has begun. He pointed out that Delhi produces 1,000 MGD of water, but an additional 250 MGD more is needed. The AAP chief alleged that neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana are not providing additional water to Delhi. The state government is exploring ways to solve the problem.

According to the AAP chief, East Delhi and North-East Delhi across the trans-Yamuna area is such that as soon as a pit is dug, water gushes out. At a depth of 4-5 feet, water surfaces, but the problem is that it is contaminated with ammonia and high salinity.

He said with the installation of de-ammonization and RO plants to treat the water the groundwater has become potable. He claimed that the government has already identified locations for 2,500 tube wells in this region, which will provide an additional 200 MGD of treated water.