Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has triggered a social media storm after attributing the national capital's summer water crisis to the "hot sun" and "water evaporation."
While addressing a party event, she stated, "The water that comes to us, some of it evaporates in between, and because of that, there is a shortage."
The Telegraph Online has not independently verified the authenticity of the video.
The viral claim has drawn criticism and sarcastic responses from citizens and politicians, with many pointing out that the real causes of Delhi’s water crisis are far more deep-rooted and cannot be explained solely by the natural phenomenon of evaporation, which people learn about in primary school.
Users cited CM Gupta’s “water evaporation” theory as evidence of her “advanced scientific mindset” and recalled her past claims, especially her comment during the capital’s severe air pollution crisis last year, when she had said, “AQI is a temperature that any instrument can measure.”
Another user said, “A direct question to Delhi's Water Minister and DJB Chairman, Parvesh Verma: As the minister in charge of the Delhi Jal Board, do you endorse CM Rekha Gupta's viral claim that our severe water shortage is simply because ‘water evaporates on the way’? And is this a first-time phenomenon?”
While India faces record-breaking temperatures and weather experts warn of increasingly intense heatwaves, social media users say the government needs to focus more on governance.
“Citizens need solutions, not excuses,” a user said, while another criticised the administration as a “comedy show”.
Pointing out another perceived flaw in the “water evaporation” theory, a user said that the chief minister would next blame the monsoon for the city’s waterlogging problem and winter for its air pollution.