Delhi's water tanker mafia exposed

Good evening. Now watching To the Point. I'm Preeti Chaudhary. The national capital is reeling under an acute heat wave and a massive water crisis. There are water wars raging in several parts of Delhi. And to make matters worse, water tanker mafia is operating with impunity. India Today now blows the lid of this black marketing of water. Here is part one of India Today's special investigation Operation Water Mafia. India's capital Delhi is thirsty and parched despite the AAM Aadmi Party government's promise of free and clean water in taps for Delhiites. Wars on the streets for every drop as tankers struggle to quench Delhi's thirst. As the capital goes dry, the notorious tanker mafia is having a free run. This ruthless lobby busy fleecing a thirsty population of the capital for a few extra bucks to expose this racket. Going without any checks, India Today's undercover team reached Delhi Sangam Vihar where we met Ritesh, a tanker mafia operator who runs this business from his home. Our undercover team sought water to build a house. Thanks Sector I, the water mafia operates in almost every street of Sangam Vihar, the worst hit by Delhis water crunch. 2 streets away, we met Mohan who not only had an illegal borewell but also a huge water tank inside his home. Our spy cameras captured the tanker being filled from the borewell, throwing all norms out the window. We met Mohan here and asked him for a water tanker. But yeah, I then Mohan told us that the groundwater level is falling and that they're having difficulty filling the water tanker. The tanker mafias earning lakhs by selling water from illegal borewells stealing delhis already rapidly falling water table. The tanker mafia brazenly extracts water from illegal tube wells which dot the Wazirabad area of Yamuna Khadar in Delhi. Here, water tankers are being filled openly. We met Ramesh, who runs one such illegal tube well. Buying water from illicit tube wells has become a part of life in these parts of the capital. We wanted to know how many water tankers Ramesh fills daily and whether he could arrange a tanker for construction work or I I The big question who will reign in Delhis water looters or will the water mafia continue to plunder Delhi of its precious spanning with Nitin Jain in Delhi? This is India Today's special investigation team. Meanwhile, Delhi Minister Arthashi has blamed Haryana government for the water crisis in Delhi, accusing it of not releasing enough water for the capital. India Today's Special investigation team tried to investigate this claim. Large parts of Delhi struggling for water, but in the areas hit by the worst ever water crisis, there's endless flouting of norms. This is the Bhavana area of Delhi. Poor wells are banned in the entire capital but here this law is only on paper. Our team reached the area around the Muna canal of Bhavana. This is the canal where water from Haryana is supplied to Delhi. The canal is a lifeline for the capital, supplying a bulk of the water, and has been the subject of an open political war. But this area also has among the highest numbers of illegal borewells on the banks of the canal, which are used to illegally pump water into water tankers. The water mafia running with impunity India Today's undercover team met the water mafia operatives who were ready to supply water to factories, but at a hefty price. But where is the administration and how can the water loot continue in the open? What gives this praise and confidence to Delhis Pani ke Lutere Manufacturing these water tankers from the banks of the Lifeline Canal are openly going to factories. No checks, no questions asked, no one to stop them. Children 's politics is raging in the name of water but everyone seems to be silent in this corruption trade. In an especially scorching summer with Arvind Doja and Shreya Chatterjee in Delhi, this is India Today's Special Investigation Team. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has come down heavily on the Delhi government over the prevalence of the tanker mafias and have asked what measures have been taken against the mafia. The top court asked the Delhi government to explain steps taken to prevent water wastage. A special bench also took on the Delhi government saying that if it cannot deal with the tanker mafia, it will ask the Delhi Police to take action. I want to cut across immediately to my colleague Nalini who's joining us as well as Shreya. But Nalini, coming to you first in would you detail for us on what the top court said today regarding the water mafias that operate with impunity in the national capital? Well, Preeti, the vacation bench of the Supreme Court was hearing a petition by the Delhi government that was asking for the water that has been sent by Himachal Pradesh to be released by Haryana so that can it can reach the national capital. And during the course of this hearing, the vacation bench has slammed the Delhi government asking them what action they've taken against the water mafia that is functioning in the national capital which is leading to loss of water. There is spillage and of course there is the tanker mafia because of which the water is not reaching, reaching the residents. In fact, it was told in the court that almost 52% of the water that is coming to the national capital is actually being wasted. Either its being spilled during the transport or it is being taken over by the mafia because of which its not able to reach the citizens. So on this aspect, the court has asked the Delhi government to come back by as early as tomorrow with all the steps that have been taken against the water mafia, whether any FIRS have been registered, whether any action has been taken and the Delhi government has to now tomorrow come back and give its response before the top court on what action has been taken. The court has also warned that if the Delhi government is not able to do anything, then the matter will be handed over to the central government through the Delhi Police and the Delhi Police will be asked to step in and then take action. So it remains to be seen what happens tomorrow. Its going to be a firecracker for hearing and well have to see what response the Delhi government gives regarding what action they have taken. Cancer, water mafia. Well Narani, we are going to keep a keen eye on that. Thank you there for joining us on the developments taking place if the vacation bench of the top court of the country. Meanwhile, I want to pull in Shreya Chatterjee who's getting us more on what really is going on where the national capital is concerned where water stolen delivered by a network of mafia which operates with utter impunity. Shreya absolutely, Preeti, you know, the entire report that we've actually announced suggests that this impunity continues with the operation of also the authorities. Because the tanker mafias who's been stung by us clearly suggests that they can run this because they pay off to the police, they pay off to the SDM. They've very categorically taken the authorities that they have to pay off. One of the mafias also went ahead to suggest that last time when they had faced a similar trouble, all the tanker mafias involved, they had individually pulled up money and then they had given it to the police so that their operation could run. So clearly this is water. We are talking about industrial use. So at a time when the people of Delhi are are not getting water supply, there is rampant refuge of water, unregulated water unchecked illegally that's been taken and delivered for industrial purposes. Definitely, there is a lack of the authorities on ground to regulate and put checks and balance. Today, after this investigation, we have seen the water minister write to the LG suggesting that there is lacking of cooperation to the Delhi Dal Board. Additionally, she suggested that she had also written that BJD had reduced the tankers during the summer season, which could have led to these illegal supply actually monitoring. She's also suggested that ACP rank officials should actually monitor and patrol the Monarch Canal region because this is the stretch where we've actually got these mafias operating. This is the same stretch through which the Haryana water is coming to Delhi. So now she suggested that there should be patrolling in this region to ensure that we can see that no such theft is continued from here onwards. You know, Shreya, what was it that our team found out? Especially because one claim of the AAM Aadmi Party government has been that it is the Haryana government that is not allowing the regular flow of water to the national capital. Our team did visit the border areas of Haryana, especially the canal in which Delhi is dependent on. What did we find? Preeti? You know, we need to understand that the entire water that comes to Delhi from Haryana comes to the Muna Canal through Kakori. Then it reaches through the Delhi Sub Branch and CLC through which it actually reaches the Seven water treatment plant. Subsequently, from there the water is released to the people of Delhi. Now what we do understand that there has been an Economic survey report of this sewage and we've also understood an inspection that was carried out by the Upper Yamuna river body. They have suggested that Haryana is releasing their quantity of water and at Kakori when they monitored it on last Sunday, it was showing that over 1100 CUSIC of water which is more than the share of Haryanas water is being shed. But where it is being registered at the point of Bawana, the tally comes down to 960, which suggests that there is an 18% loss of water to leakages and through theft. So that that means the proper check and balance. We are literally losing 18% of water. The allowed norm is 5%. So this is something that authorities with cooperation should be tackling and ensuring that people basic right is water and if we cannot even manage waterlogs, that is to the amount of 18%. That is something that really points out to the lapses on the ground on part of the authority. All right, appreciate you joining us, Shreya. And the team was conducted that staying there, exposing the mafias across the national capital. And also interesting because there's a political spin off on what we are witnessing in the national capital. The BJP versus AAM Aadmi Party face off. But we're keeping away from that, putting the focus on the government of Delhi coming good on delivering what they promised, which is drinking water and water to the national capital. Tomorrow is a crucial hearing in the Supreme Court, and we're gonna follow it up for sure.