The monsoons are perhaps the most-awaited season for the Indian subcontinent. The official meteorological department has announced that this year has been the driest June since 2013.

The heatwave has depleted groundwater levels and dried up local reservoirs in Delhi. Once surrounded by thousands of waterbodies, the state has lost many to encroachment and pollution. The water supply is short by around 300 million gallons a day (MGD); with the Delhi Jal Board supplying around 900 MGD to the city against the peak demand of 1,200 MGD.

While 88 per cent of the residents get piped water, Delhi’s groundwater has been receding to dangerously low levels because of unsustainable use over the years. The prolonged heatwave, with temperatures 8 degrees above normal this week, has taken a toll on residents, even as pre-monsoon showers bring temporary relief. The state still awaits a definite plan for rainwater conservation, recharging groundwater and recycling used water. The AAP government has sought the Centre’s support for a rainwater harvesting project to solve Delhi’s ongoing water crisis.

Imtiyaz Khan is a Delhi-based photojournalist

 

Photo: Wasim/Sarvar

Summer cooler: An Asiatic elephant receives his daily shower at the Delhi Zoo. Animals have been provided with coolers in their enclosures, and a cooling summer diet

Shower ready: Children bathe under a public tubewell. The National Green Tribunal directed the Delhi government to seal illegal tubewells and borewells

Nowhere to go: A man rests on a window sill of an old building in north Delhi. City shelters for the homeless provide no respite from the scorching temperatures

Not a drop: A herd of sheep drinking water from the Hindon river. Hindon, a rain-fed tributory of the Yamuna, has become a health hazard due to the presence of pollutants

Afternoon siesta: A man rests under the shade of a tree on a hot summer day at a public park

In search of relief: Women covered their faces with scarves to shield themselves from the sun as temperatures soared to 43 degree celsius in the capital

1 / 0
Boywood: Children cool off at the recently restored 700-year-old stepwell at Nizamuddin Dargah. Baolis in the city traditionally provided residents relief from the heat