Irregular water supply and lack of clean drinking water in their hostels for past few months has irked the female students of the Undergraduate Hostel for Girls and Rajiv Gandhi Hostel for Girls in Dhaka Housing Complex of Mukherjee Nagar in the Delhi University.
“It’s been two months that we are not having water in our hostel. We had written letters to both the university and the hostel authorities, but nothing has been done. It got so difficult for us since we would wake up with no water to brush our teeth or have a bath. Finally after a protest on Saturday, the DJB officials addressed the issue,” Rohini Sethi, a first year student, said.
“For the last two months there has been no regular water supply in the hostel causing immense trouble and distress for all of us. Since we were not getting any response from the hostel or the university officials, we started an online petition on change.org. It was after the Saturday night’s protest when DJB chairperson Kapil Mishra arrived at the protest venue and said the problem was due to the negligence of the university officials. However, he assured us that we would be provided with DJB tankers for the next two weeks,” Rajiv Gandhi Hostel for Girls inmate Mallika said.
However, the students alleged that the hostel authorities said that there was shortage of water because the Delhi University pipeline had been damaged. On the condition of anonymity, a resident of the Undergraduate Hostel for Girls, said, “Our hostel head told us that the DU pipeline is being repaired as it had been damaged. But when the DJB officials met the students and hostel officials on Sunday, they said the negligence was on behalf of the hostel because nobody from the DJB knew about the issue. How is it possible that the DJB was supplying water but none of us were getting water ”
“Staying with an abysmal water facility in a hostel is not at all easy for anyone of us. We had to come out on streets and protest so that our demands could be heard. Finally, the DJB officials have addressed our issue and promised us to provide water for next two days till the water pipeline is repaired,” said Stuti, a third year student.
