Large parts of Civil Lines, Model Town, Sarojini Nagar, Gole Market, Khan Market, Bhagwan Das Road, Ashoka Road, Dhaula Kuan, Moti Bagh and adjoining areas went without a drop of water on Thursday The present water crisis started following Haryana's refusal to release Delhi's share of water As against 600 cusecs, Haryana was releasing just 500 cusecs water, which affected production in Delhi's water treatment plants (WTP's).

A senior Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said, "Because of this, produetion at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal WTP has dropped by 60 per cent and 50 per cent respectively We have been left with no option but to curtail supply in north, central and NDMC areas."

Varsh Sinha, a resident of Civil Lines, is depending on bottied water to meet her family's daily water requirement since the past one week. "I have been spending Rs 200 daily on bottled water How long can we go on like this? The summer has just started. If this is the condition now what will happen during peak summer months," she said.

Residents are also peeved at DJB's inability to provide tankers. "We have been requesting for water tankers for the last three days but are yet to get one. The staff at the DJB's complaint centre just tell us that there is a long list and we will have to wait," said Roshni Ahuja, a Gole Market resident.

But this might just be the beginning of a long dry summer for Delhi'ites. Delhi's water demand is expected to touch 950 MGD (Million Gallon Per Day) while DJB is in a position to supply just 750 MGD water