Rekha Flags Off 1,111 Water Tankers With GPS Tracking

New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday launched 1,111 water tankers, equipped with location monitoring systems to enhance distribution across the city in the summer months.
The Delhi Jal Board headquarters will track the tankers using an IT dashboard.
At an event in Burari, Gupta said: "This is a step towards complete transparency. This is not the final solution. We will work on a new town plan to provide water from the tap to every resident."
Water minister Parvesh Verma and environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa attended the event, accompanied by BJP MPs and MLAs.
Delhi govt's 2025-26 fiscal budget has set aside Rs 9,000 crore for water-related initiatives. According to Gupta, this allocation encompasses various projects, including smart meter installations, water body restoration, pipeline infrastructure, and drain desilting operations. "We deployed 50 super sucker machines across the city to deal with sewer overflow. The previous govt only procured two such machines," she added.
The city govt is also working on increasing the capacity of sewage treatment plants and water treatment plants. Verma said, "This is a model of good governance and transparency. Some of these tankers are old, but all these are fitted with GPS. People can track the location of the tankers on their mobile phones like we do on food delivery apps."
"What the AAP-da sarkar could not do in so many years, we did it in 10 weeks. Drains are being cleaned, tonnes of silt is being cleared. We are working on holidays, festivals, every day," he added, referring to the previous AAP dispensation.
The chief minister said that strict action would be taken against the ‘tanker mafia', as all 1,111 tankers will now be monitored 24x7 from a central control room. Using the Delhi Jal Board mobile app, people can track the tankers, file complaints, and monitor the resolution process, she said. She also assured that regions currently without piped water will soon receive drinking water through pipeline systems.
Gupta clarified that in areas not receiving piped water, it will be ensured soon, and a comprehensive layout plan, based on town planning principles, is being prepared to expand the piped water network. She said that due to the apathy of the previous govt, water supply became disorganised, with the ‘tanker mafia' tightening its grip over the system.
South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said steps should be taken on implementing agreements with neighbouring states to give Delhi permanent relief from water crisis.
AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "BJP govt and the CM are misleading people." He said that even in 2015, tankers were equipped with GPS. "When I became vice-chairman of DJB in 2022, tankers were equipped with GPS," he said.