Dry Delhi – Where Water Comes at a Price
With many parts of Delhi facing water scarcity, here's a look at how people living in slums survive the summers.
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Every summer, Delhi reels under a perennial water crisis. The drying Yamuna and extreme summers are making matters worse with each passing year.
A group of women waiting for a water tanker.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
A woman setting up a pipe under the tanker.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
A boy standing in front of the tanker to collect water first, before it is opened for all.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
I spent two days in two urban slums in Delhi – Kusumpahari and Sanjay Gandhi Camp. These areas don't have piped water supply and depend on tankers for drinking water.
Empty tubs propped up against a house.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
A woman carrying a pipe before the tanker's arrival.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
People tie up their cans with a chain to ensure they're not stolen.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
A woman making space for her can in the long line of cans waiting to be filled.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
The tanker comes every day but there's no fixed time for its arrival. It's mostly the women who spend hours just waiting for the tanker to arrive; in fact, their whole day revolves around the tanker's arrival.
The rush for the water.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
A maze of pipes protrudes out of the tanker.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Here, everyone lends a helping hand to get the cans filled with water.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Every time a tanker arrives, chaos ensues.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
More than 600 families live in this slum, and for them, one tanker is just not enough. Throughout the day, almost 35 tankers come to these areas to provide potable water.
Every single drop is precious.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)
Women carrying the filled cans back home.
(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)