New Delhi: A remark by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on water shortage in the national capital has gone viral, drawing criticism from both the Opposition and the public. Hours after the video was broadcast by News 24, it was taken down from the channel’s platform.
On Thursday, at a BJP party meet, Gupta said, “The heat wave has led to water shortage and caused inconvenience. The water that is channeled gets evaporated, that has also led to shortage.”
The clip went viral, drawing criticism from all fronts. Aam Aadmi Party’s X handle shared a video of waterlogging in parts of Delhi on X, writing: “Madam, please get this road water to evaporate too.”
Adding to this, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate posted on X: “There is a water crisis in Delhi, and these are the thoughts of its Chief Minister – God save us! The BJP is full of such gems.”
“दिल्ली में पानी की किल्लत इसलिए है क्योंकि यमुना से आने वाला पानी evaporate हो जाता है”
-रेखा गुप्ता जी, मुख्यमंत्री, दिल्ली
दिल्ली में पानी का संकट है और यह यहाँ की मुख्यमंत्री के विचार हैं – भगवान बचाये!
BJP में ऐसे शिरोमणियों की भरमार है pic.twitter.com/BGj7alD5MM
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) June 5, 2026
CM मैडम, ये सड़क वाला पानी evaporate क्यों नहीं हो रहा🤡 pic.twitter.com/3EoLAn5t8C
— Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) June 5, 2026
Advocate Prashant Bhushan too took a big at the Delhi CM’s “scientific nuggets” on his X handle.
Our gutter gas making chaiwala has spawned many scientists as ministers & CMs. Here is our own CM Rekha Gupta with her scientific nuggets on why there is water shortage! pic.twitter.com/OfFZTKCIv7
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) June 5, 2026
BJP spokesperson Shehzaad Poonawalla jumped to defend Gupta in light of the ridicule, saying it was an attempt to craft a false narrative.
This is not the first time Gupta’s remarks have sparked criticism and ridicule for scientific irregularities. In May, while addressing the Exhibition of Innovative Technological Solutions, Gupta said, “Trees that are generally found on the roadsides of Delhi are usually Safeda, Kikar and Babool that are not oxygen givers.”
Sharing the footage on Instagram, former Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj wrote: “CM Rekha Gupta strikes again. She says Safeda, Babool and Keekar trees don’t give oxygen. And BJP says she will fix pollution in Delhi.”
At the NDTV conclave organised on 8 December, she spoke about the government’s response to air pollution and tools to measure AQI.
“What is a hotspot? A place with the most pollution. What’s the solution? You spray there, you water it. You work to improve the soil. So, you’ll spray only on the hotspot,” she said.
She added, “Does using a monitor bring down the AQI? AQI is like a temperature which you can know from any instrument, so watering it is the only solution which we are also doing.”
Gupta’s remarks on pollution had prompted a response from her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal took to X, saying: “The Chief Minister has at least admitted that wherever AQI monitors are installed, water spraying is being done right there so that the truth about pollution doesn’t reach the people of Delhi. In other words, a game is afoot to hide the data and show clean air. When did this new science arrive that AQI has now become temperature?”
In another interview to News Nation in September 2025, Gupta had drawn a parallel between the drains of Delhi and the canals of Venice—which she called a ‘naala’—while responding to a question on waterlogging in the city due to heavy rain.
(Edited by Prakhar Agrawal)
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