NEW DELHI — The Delhi government has announced a multi-pronged approach to ensure water supply during the summer months, deploying 1,221 tankers to deliver 1,002 million gallons per day through a network of 13,000 fixed points across a city that already possesses a municipal water distribution system.

The scheme, which officials described as "comprehensive and forward-looking," will see tankers stationed at predetermined locations where residents can collect water, a process the Delhi Jal Board characterized as "enhancing accessibility" to the water that pipes were originally installed to deliver to homes.

"We have increased the number of fixed points from 9,000 to 13,000," said a senior official, who noted that the locations were selected based on areas experiencing water shortages due to problems with the existing water supply network. When asked why the existing network could not be repaired, the official said that matter was being examined by a separate committee.

The tankers, according to sources familiar with the arrangement, will operate on routes that largely overlap with the city's existing pipeline network. "This represents a significant improvement over last year," the source said, referring to the previous summer when only 9,000 fixed points were established to compensate for the same pipeline network.

The Delhi Jal Board has allocated ₹47 crore for the tanker operation, which officials say will run from April through June, after which the matter will be reassessed based on conditions. A separate ₹12 crore has been set aside for a study on long-term solutions to the water distribution challenges, the findings of which are expected to be ready by 2026.

"Residents should rest assured that water will reach them," said Smt. Priya Sharma, spokesperson for the Delhi Jal Board, standing beside a flowchart showing the route from treatment plant to pipeline to home. "Either through the taps installed for that purpose, or through the 1,221 tankers we have deployed because the taps do not work."