New Delhi : For Shambhu Kumar (29), a delivery person who spends most of his day navigating Delhi’s roads delivering online shopping parcels, a routine Monday morning ride turned into an unexpected discovery of a major water wastage issue.Kumar, a resident of Bhalswa village, was riding from Moti Nagar towards Punjabi Bagh around 7 am. As he reached the red light near the Punjabi Bagh cremation ground, he noticed a large quantity of water gushing out from a pipeline running along the roadside near the drain.Surprised by the continuous flow of water, Kumar stopped and recorded the scene on his phone. The video showed water leaking from a large Delhi Jal Board (DJB) pipeline, with a significant quantity flowing into the Sahibi river, which is locally referred to as a drain by residents because of its condition.He later uploaded the video on his Facebook account, bringing the issue to public attention.When a TOI reporter came across the video, contacted Kumar, and visited the location, the spot revealed a large pipeline running parallel to the road near the bridge, surrounded by overgrown vegetation. During the visit, water was seen slowly seeping out from a damaged portion of the pipeline.Kumar said he noticed the leakage while waiting at the traffic signal. “I was looking for a place to urinate when I saw water coming out in such a large quantity. I was surprised that so much water was being wasted and decided to record it,” he said.He said he stayed at the spot for nearly 30 minutes while recording the leak and observing how long the water continued to flow. However, he had to leave as he had to resume his work. “I thought of posting the video on social media because I wanted people to notice the issue,” he added.Residents living near the area said the leak has become a regular occurrence during the morning water supply hours. They claimed that every day between 5 am and 8 am, when the DJB supply begins, water starts leaking from the pipeline and continues for hours, resulting in the wastage of a large quantity of water.Kumar said his own family faces water shortages and he has to buy water for daily use. “There has been no water supply at my house for a long time. I have two small children and a wife to support. I work to run my family, and when I saw so much water being wasted, I felt bad and thought I should do something,” he said.Shopkeepers and residents near the road told TOI that the leak occurs almost every day between 5 am and 8 am, when DJB’s water supply is at its peak. They said the pressure of water during these hours leads to heavy leakage from the damaged portion of the pipeline.Another resident said the wasted water eventually mixes with the drain. “When many people are struggling to get water, it is painful to see such a large quantity being wasted,” he said.Residents also claimed that a DJB team had visited the spot two days ago to inspect the imatter, but the damaged pipeline was yet to be repaired. No response was available from govt when contacted over the matter till the time this report was filed.
