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In the past week an image of a crowd gathered around a water tanker was shared on social media platforms with a claim that it showed a recent water crisis in Delhi.
One of the most viral posts was that of Vijay Goel, former Union minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, who shared this image with the caption, “दिल्ली में पानी का हॉल | कुछ करो भैया केजरीवाल” Roughly translated from Hindi to English it reads, “The situation of water in Delhi. Do something brother kejriwal”.
Goel’s tweet garnered over 5,952 likes and 1,348 retweets at the time of writing this article.
An archived version of the tweet can be viewed here.
Other Twitter users have shared this claim as well.
This claim was also shared on Facebook.
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Fact Check / Verification
A reverse image search of the photograph in context led us to alamy.com. Here, we found the same image as seen in the claim credited to Reuters/ Adnan Abidi and taken on 30 June 2009.
Description of the image reads, “Residents of Sanjay Colony, a residential neighbourhood, crowd around a water tanker provided by the state-run Delhi Jal (water) Board to fill their containers in New Delhi June 30, 2009. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has given directives to tackle the burgeoning water crisis caused by uneven distribution of water in the city according to local media. The board is responsible for supplying water in the capital. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA SOCIETY)”
The original image can be found on Reuters website here.
In response to Goel’s tweet, Raghav Chadha, Vice-chairman of the Delhi Jal Board shared the above link from alamy.com with the caption, “Entire DJB is working tirelessly to service Delhiites, through the pandemic. Commitment displayed by our engineers has been extraordinary. Instead of applauding, BJP is running a malicious campaign against them. Image tweeted below is 12 years old.”
Delhi Jal Board also refuted the claim while sharing the original image from 2009.
Delhi’s Water Situation
On 19 June ‘21, Delhi Jal Board tweeted a press release which read that “due to increase in the ammonia pollution and high algae in Yamuna river, water production has been curtailed from Water Treatment Plants in Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla,” and that water supply will be affected in certain areas on 20 June.
It was the same day (19 June) that Goel tweeted the old water tanker image with a claim implying a recent water crisis in Delhi.
On 20 June, ANI reported on locals of Delhi’s Sangam Vihar experiencing water scarcity.
Amid this, Delhi Jal Board’s vice-chairperson, Raghav Chadha, conveyed a meeting to discuss water related issues. “We need to find a way to supply the available raw water in an equitable manner, either through a piped network or additional tanker trips. DJB’s officers need to ensure that complaints received are redressed promptly without fail,” he said via Hindustan Times.
Earlier this month, Lt Governor Anil Baijal called for a detailed status report from the Delhi Jal Board on the water crisis situation in the city amid complaints of water shortage in the national capital, reported India Today.
Additionally, we reached out to Delhi Jal Board’s PRO who said that there is no excessive water shortage in the capital and that the water treatment plants are running as per usual.
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Conclusion
Vijay Goel and other online users shared an image from 2009 of a crowd gathered around a water tanker with the claim that it showed a recent water crisis in Delhi.
Result: Misplaced Context
Our Sources
Raghav Chadha, Vice-chairperson, Delhi Jal Board: https://twitter.com/raghav_chadha/status/1406543715502485504?s=20
Delhi Jal Board: https://twitter.com/DelhiJalBoard/status/1406484361533292544?s=20
Delhi Jal Board: https://twitter.com/DelhiJalBoard/status/1406216645199089668
ANI: https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1406500091951607817
Hindustan Times: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/delhi-jal-board-discusses-ways-to-streamline-water-supply-101624560352528.html
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