The private water tanker mafia in collusion with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) officials are raking in ‘moolah’ since the day Delhi went to polls, fearing the scenario would change if the Aam Aadmi Party comes to power. Although the racket was silent for a few months, as they are usually active during summers, but this time, they have left no stone unturned during winters too.
The water mafia created ‘ artificial water crisis’ situation in various posh colonies the day Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced 700 litres of free water per day to each household in the city.
The illegal business is run by people who are particularly targeting areas in the Capital that are let down by the DJB. People in ‘ artificially parched’ localities now pay anything between Rs 800 and Rs 1,500 for 1,000 litres of water.
Earlier, they used to pay somewhere between Rs 400 to Rs 800.
For a 5,000-litre tanker, they shell out around Rs 3,000, and for a 12,000-litre tanker, between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000.
Establishments such as hotels and hospitals go for bigger tankers, which have a capacity of 24,000 litres, paying around Rs 10,000. “These prices keep fluctuating. As demand goes up, so do their charges,” said Vijay Ojha, a resident of Kalkaji.
More than 2,000 private tankers draw water from tubewells and the DJB connection to sell to residential localities and industries at exorbitant rates. Their business is pegged at Rs 400 crore annually.