Long lines, leaking pipes and a perpetual thirst — just another summer day for Delhi’s urban poor

With frequent rainfall and an unconventionally cooler temperature, the beginning of the summer season has been less scorching in India’s northern plains this year. Nevertheless, for the millions of urban poor living in the metropolitan cities, arranging for water in the summers continues to be a daunting task. Presenting daily struggles of the urban poor communities in Delhi.

Prakash SinghPrakash Singh   1 Jun 2023 9:04 AM GMT

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Long lines, leaking pipes and a perpetual thirst  — just another summer day for Delhi’s urban poorWorkers using a leaking water pipeline to quench their thirst and fill up their bottles in New Delhi. All photos by Prakash Singh. 

In the ghettoed settlements inhabited by millions of urban poor spread across the national capital, the advent of the summer season is riddled with the daily struggles to fetch water for their humble households. In doing so, almost every means to get water is utilised because competition to get water in the overpopulated pockets is often fierce. From leaking pipelines, to the long wait for the rusted water tanker, it takes a lot for these underprivileged urban dwellers to quench their thirst in summers.

According to the World Bank, India has 18 per cent of the world’s population, but only 4 per cent of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed countries in the world. It mentions that continuous piped water supply has been a pipe dream for fast-urbanising Indian cities. Most urban households receive water for a couple of hours a day at most, and often only on a few days a week. This particularly affects the poor, women and children, who spend time and money securing water for their daily needs.

Also, as per the press release on the 'NITI Aayog Report on Water Crisis' published in the Press Information Bureau on December 9, 2019, India is undergoing the worst water crisis in its history and nearly 600 million people are facing high to extreme water stress. "The report further mentions that India is placed at 120th amongst 122 countries in the water quality index, with nearly 70% of water being contaminated," the statement mentioned.

Residents of a slum colony fill containers with drinking water from a Delhi Jal Board water tanker in Tuglakabad in New Delhi on 24 May, 2023.


Drinking water from untreated sources is a constant health hazard which millions of urban poor live with on a daily basis.


Often, the struggle to get water from the tanker provided by the municipal authorities turns chaotic and scuffles are common.


As per Stockholm International Water Institute [SIWI], 21 per cent of communicable diseases in India are linked to unsafe water.


When seen on a daily basis, as per SIWI, 500 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea — a mostly water-borne infection — each day in India.


The top 10 per cent of the Indian population holds 77 per cent of the total national wealth. 73% of the wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1 per cent, while 670 million Indians who comprise the poorest half of the population saw only one per cent increase in their wealth. These inequalities are far more visible in the metropolitan cities where basic amenities like water are a cherished dream for the urban poor.


Sharbat [juice] made from 'Bel' or wood apple is an extremely popular beverage to provide respite in the summer season.



#Delhi #WaterCrisis #Water #WaterShortage #UrbanPoor 

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