KABUL: (MEP) More than 10 million people in India’s capital, Delhi, are without water after protesters sabotaged a key canal which supplies much of the city.
Officials said on Tuesday that most of New Delhi’s water supply had been cut off as the Munak canal was being repaired in the neighboring northern state of Haryana, where the protests were staged.
The Munak canal provides about 60 percent of the water used by New Delhi’s 17 million population.
Keshav Chandra, head of Delhi’s water board, said it would take “three to four days” before normal supplies resumed to affected areas.
All Delhi’s schools have been closed because of the water crisis.
“We are hoping to restore partial services in the next two to three days and 100 percent supply within next 15 days,” senior water board official Neeraj Semwal said.
Some reports said water supplies had been partially restored to New Delhi.
The Indian Supreme Court overturned the decision the following year and ruled that Jat should not be entitled to government jobs and university seats reserved for Other Backward Castes (OBCs) under the Indian Constitution.
The community, however, has challenged the Supreme Court ruling, demanding the same privileges as lower castes.
The Indian government on Monday vowed to introduce a bill on reservations and quotas for the Jat community in the next assembly session.
Yashpal Malik, the head of a group of Jat organization, said, “We have called off the tension since the government agreed to all our demands. We are satisfied now and have faith the government will do its part.”
