In recent weeks, Delhi’s residents have faced severe water shortages, leading to widespread public outcry and urgent appeals for government intervention. Meanwhile, just a stone's throw away in National Capital Region’s Faridabad, influential local figures are capitalising on the situation. An investigation by Down To Earth (DTE) has found these individuals are digging up borewells, extracting groundwater from it and selling it via tankers, supplying not only the border colonies of Delhi but also the unauthorised settlements within Faridabad itself.
There’s an unauthorised settlement on the farms of Wazirpur village in Faridabad, approximately 15 kilometres from Delhi known as Jeevan Nagar, which features a borewell situated near a petrol station, somewhat removed from the main population. Private tankers regularly draw water from this borewell, operating almost continuously.
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the borewell is closed between 1 am and 4 am but operates for about 20 hours per day otherwise. “This borewell's water is supplied to distant areas. This borewell has been installed for about five or six years now,” the resident said.
Tankers with capacities ranging from 1,000 to 24,000 litres are filled here. Small tankers charge Rs 600, while large tankers charge up to Rs 2,500 each.
Additionally, another private borewell, located about two hundred metres away on the opposite side of the road, also fills private tankers for distribution across various parts of the city. The owner of this borewell remains unidentified, as locals are too afraid to speak about him. However, it is widely believed that the groundwater level in the area has significantly decreased in recent years.
Faridabad is situated between the Aravalli Hills and the Yamuna, allowing its groundwater to flow from the Aravallis to the river. According to Jagdish Chaudhary, president of the Indian Institute of Water Education and Research Centre in Faridabad, the area once had around four times more water than it required.
“The large lakes of Badkhal and Surajkund, located at the foothills of the Aravallis, were part of this abundance. Additionally, a natural channel called Budhiya Nala connected the Aravallis to the Yamuna, with ponds and reservoirs in nearly every village recharging the groundwater. However, unplanned development has led to numerous problems in Faridabad, one of which is the water crisis,” Chaudhary said.
Unlike the New Industrial Township in Faridabad, established post-independence, unauthorised colonies across the canal or Budhiya nala developed much later. Consequently, the groundwater level in these areas remains better than that of the township.
This disparity has attracted the attention of water mafias. The area across the canal lies between the Agra canal, Gurgaon canal and Yamuna river, originating from the Okhla Barrage in Delhi. Wazirpur village is located in this region.
Dadasia, a village adjacent to the Yamuna, has largely escaped the attention of the tanker mafias. In 2001, the government installed tube wells in Dadasia as part of Ranney Well project. This project, pioneered by petroleum engineer Leo Ranney , involves drilling tube wells to extract water from aquifers directly connected to surface water sources like rivers or lakes.
At the time of installation, the groundwater level in Dadasia was 20 feet below the surface, but it has since dropped to 100 feet.
The villager residents’ primary income comes from crops grown in fields extending up to the Yamuna, said resident Pawan Tyagi.
“While irrigation was once unproblematic due to the high groundwater level, the significant drop now necessitates new and deeper tube wells. The government prohibits farmers from installing tubewells in their own fields along the Yamuna's banks, even as Ranney wells are being set up in the area,” he said.
The situation is much worse in Basantpur village, about 2 kilometres from Dadasia. Farming has almost ceased here, with unauthorised colonies replacing most of the cultivable land. Due to Basantpur's proximity to the Yamuna, the groundwater level used to be 15 to 20 feet, but now it has dropped to 100 to 120 feet in most areas.
Villagers report that water is being supplied to all the nearby colonies via tankers. The tanker mafia has drilled borewells at various locations, supplying water to more than half a dozen nearby colonies, including Jagmal Colony, Panchsheel Colony, Shiv Enclave, Basantpur Colony, and Ajay Nagar.
Even an unauthorised colony of Delhi, situated just 500 metres from the village, receives water supplied via borewells installed in Basantpur and Ismailpur. While installing submersible pumps is easier than arranging tankers in these areas, the high installation costs mean not every family can afford them. Consequently, many rely on tanker deliveries.
Even households with submersible pumps installed often depend on water from illegal bottling plants for drinking. Adjacent to Basantpur is Mithapur Colony, where submersible pumps now serve most homes, yet drinking water is sourced from illegal bottling plants scattered throughout the colony.
These plants charge Rs 10-20 for 20 litres of water filtered by reverse osmosis systems. During a visit by DTE, three utility vehicles were observed outside one such plant in Mithapur, each carrying two 200-litre tanks. It took 15 to 20 minutes to fill these tanks, after which the vehicles circulated the streets with loudspeakers to announce their presence.
Residents emerged with 20-litre bottles, paying Rs 10 each to fill them from the tanks before the vehicles moved on. An elderly woman recalled how, decades ago, she used a hand pump for water until groundwater levels dropped, necessitating the installation of deeper pumps. Now, despite having submersible pumps, she still has to rely on the deliveries for drinking water.
Kripal Awana, a 60-year-old resident of Basantpur, noted that every household now depends on such mobile tanks for drinking water. “Those better off financially have installed reverse osmosis systems, contributing to the declining water table,” he said.
Nearby, Sagar Kumar of Basantpur underscored the severe groundwater depletion in areas near the Yamuna. “Borewells are only usable if you dig at least 180 feet,” he said.
In villages nestled at the base of the Aravali foothills, extensive water extraction is occurring. Pali village alone hosts approximately 25 tube wells, operating round-the-clock to fill tankers ranging from 3,000 to 24,000 litres.
This lucrative tanker trade benefits two main groups: private tube well owners who charge tanker operators Rs 300 per 3,000 litres, and the operators themselves who sell the same volume for Rs 600 in colonies. This illegal enterprise yields substantial daily earnings, with each tube well extracting 20,000 to 30,000 litres of water, generating combined profits of Rs 40,000 to 50,000 per day.
Local residents like Jitendra Bhadana lamented the rapid groundwater decline caused by these operations.
“Just a decade ago, the water table was at 60 feet but has now plummeted to 250 feet, severely affecting farming and livestock. Despite complaints to the administration, including detailed reports on 25 illegal borewells, no effective action has been taken,” said Bhadana, who is associated with non-profit Save Aravali.
Similar water extraction activities are observed in neighbouring villages like Bhakhri and Mohabbatabad, where mafia-like operations thrive with tacit support from local leaders and authorities. Allegations abound that Faridabad Municipal Corporation officials manipulate water supply to benefit tanker mafias, exacerbating the crisis.
The historical Badkhal lake, once a vital groundwater source, dried up in 2008 due to relentless water extraction. Today, over two dozen bottling plants operate in Badkhal village and nearby Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Colony, selling water at exorbitant rates due to the absence of formal water supply in Faridabad, facilitating the flourishing illegal business across all sectors and colonies.