Congress workers staged a ‘Matka Phod’ (break pitchers) protest on Saturday in Delhi’s Krishna Nagar area, targeting the AAP-led Delhi government and the BJP-led central government over the ongoing water crisis in the national capital.
A Congress worker, speaking to ANI, accused both governments of neglecting the water issue and prioritizing political games. “The public is being cheated in the name of water. Poor people are suffering the most. The governments are playing the blame game. Why was water not arranged in advance? They were busy doing politics. The Congress party will hold a ‘matka phod’ protest in Delhi to wake up the deaf and dumb government. They have connived with the tanker mafia,” he said.
He further emphasized that the Congress is committed to raising awareness about the issue, stating, “The Congress has resolved that ‘matka’ will be broken in every corner of Delhi and the sleeping government will be awakened.”
Another protester criticized the AAP and BJP for engaging in political mudslinging instead of addressing the crisis. “If attention was paid only to leakage, then this situation would not have happened today. Their politics is depriving the poor of water as well. This is a very sad thing,” he said.
In response to the ongoing crisis, AAP leader Atishi assured that the government is taking all possible steps to reduce water wastage. She also urged Delhi residents to conserve water, highlighting the impact of scorching heatwaves and rising temperatures on the city’s water supply.
The Supreme Court recently addressed the complex and sensitive issue of sharing Yamuna River water between states. It deferred the matter to the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to decide on Delhi’s demand for additional water amid the crisis. The Delhi government, in a fresh affidavit, stated that the tanker mafia operates on the Haryana side of the Yamuna River and that it lacks the jurisdiction to take action. The affidavit emphasized that Haryana must explain its measures to ensure the full supply of water to Delhi from the point of release to the point of receipt.