The Board of Control for Cricket in India pleaded before the Bombay High Court that it will only use sewage water and not the potable one, However, DDCA is blatantly not just drawing on the fast depleting ground water but is also getting it treated through RO before splashing it on the Kotla field.
While the IPL matches after April 30 are being shifted out of Maharashtra due to drought in the state, the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here is treated to nothing less than the sparkling Reverse Osmosis (RO) water!
On Friday, when Delhi Daredevils take on Kings XI Punjab here, the lush green outfield on display will cock-a-snook at the environmentalists who have been urging all to use ground water sparingly in summer so that poor people residing in less well-heeled localities and shanty towns across the national capital are also able to get drinking water.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India pleaded before the Bombay High Court that it will only use sewage water and not the potable one, However, DDCA is blatantly not just drawing on the fast depleting ground water but is also getting it treated through RO before splashing it on the Kotla field.
"I'm surprised to hear this, especially at a time when people in Delhi are not getting enough water to drink, and DDCA has been wasting water using RO," Padamshri awardee and well-known environmentalist, MC Mehta said on Thursday.
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"This is criminal because treating water through the RO process also means wasting almost an equal amount of water. And the waste water, because of the toxic substances it contains, cannot be used for anything, not even to wash utensils or toilet seats," added Mehta.
During treatment, minerals from water get removed, and this water, according to Mehta, is unfit for using even on fields. Rather, regular water with all minerals is much better than RO treated water, he said.
Reportedly, the RO plant was installed sometime around 2006-07. And providentially, every drop that flows out of DDCA taps is RO treated, whether it is for cleaning utensils or toilet!
DDCA treasurer Gopi Manchanda agrees that wasting water is something that should immediately be checked. "At a time when the entire country is facing drought, I do feel that water should be used with utmost care. I also support Bombay High Court orders shifting matches out of Maharashtra," Manchanda said.
When asked why DDCA is wasting such precious water on maintainance of ground, Manchanda said: "I agree that this practice should be stopped."
Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) senior officer has told dna that "the drilling of borewell is nowadays completely banned in the city".
"However, even if DDCA had an old permission (if any) to do so, then it was made compulsory by DJB in 2008-09 to make voluntary disclosure of all borewells in any house, society or factories, by filling a form. This form then goes to District Magistrate of that area for further scrutiny," said the official.
When asked if permission to use RO water for ground maintenance is allowed, the official only expressed his anguish over DDCA's flagrance.
"In Delhi, we are faced with water scarcity and finding it hard to port water through tankers everyday. And if DDCA has been doing this kind of work where water is being wasted unnecessarily, then all that I can say is inhuman attitude and nothing else," added the official with a promise that files will be checked to find out if necessary permissions were taken by Delhi cricket body to dig borewells or not.
Former India player Surinder Khanna said: "As a cricketer, I feel ashamed that such a thing is happening in DDCA when people are dying due to lack of drinking water in India. I don't know when DDCA will understand that having enough money does not mean it can waste it in this manner."
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