Death still stalked the rain-drenched city; perched on debris clogging stormwater drains, peeping out of open drains, coiled next to powerlines submerged in rainwater as it awaits its prey; it sneered as rainwater inundated narrow alleys in low-lying neighbourhoods. None will restrain its scourge, its know; mere deaths won’t elicit a response from those in consequential posts.
The drowning deaths of three students, aspiring to crack the most sanctimonious Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, in Old Rajinder Nagar area, after the basement in their coaching institute filled up with water following torrential rainfall, has once again exposed the city’s civic disorder.
Those awaiting to be residents of the ‘world class city’ may have to wait a little longer. Despite tall claims of proper implementation of Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2021, severe waterlogging across the national capital owing to poor drainage, encroachment of public lands, rampant violations of guidelines for commercial operations and complicity of civic authorities reveals a sordid state of affairs. Amid the lawlessness and governmental laxity, things hardly look good for the common men.
The Old Rajinder Nagar deaths will be debated for some time before it is cast into the pit of amnesia; we will forget, because we always do. Otherwise we would have questioned if the MPD 2021 stipulations have been implemented to the letter; whether the Delhi Drainage Plan is effectively operational, and so on. Civic agencies have reportedly prepared ‘MPD 2041’ which is awaiting final approval from the government. However, town planners suggest before the next plan is finalised, one should analyse how far the current plan has been realised on the ground. Some are of the opinion that the city’s geography, much like its political, social and economic dynamics, are constantly changing.
However, one thing is clear; the stormwater drainage infrastructure in the city is in a dilapidated state, one in need of urgent and ardent revision. City planners believe the Delhi government and its appendages will have to realise this need and act immediately to realise a robust Drainage Master Plan. Stakeholders will have to execute this mammoth task in a systematic manner, which may start by analysing the shortcomings in the existing condition, experts suggest, asserting that there can be no alternative to having all concerned agencies on the same page on the drainage situation despite their differences. Additionally, there should be no space for passing the buck when a mishap occurs and a chain of accountibility must be established and requisite corrective measures must be preordained.
Experts suggest
Experts believe in order to make the stormwater infrastructure efficient, it is necessary to correct the existing drainage infrastructure which is in poor shape and introduce low-cost flood prevention measures such as rejuvenation of water bodies, and rainwater harvesting. “There is no doubt that the city’s drainage infrastructure is ineffective. As part of effective measures, solid waste and sewage have to be managed in a way that they do not interfere with the stormwater drainage,” says Akash Vashishtha, a Delhi-based environmental expert.
Vashishtha says stormwater drains are only meant to carry fresh water that flows as runoff. Even treated sewage cannot go into it. “When you allow fresh water flowing in stormwater drains to mix with sewage, you tend to not only waste the fresh rainwater, a precious resource, but also cause it to be polluted, making it an offence under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It is time that the stormwater drains are accorded legal status and protection, similar to the protection rendered to water bodies such as wetlands and ponds,” the environmentalist says.
In the coaching centre deaths, the flaw lies in indiscriminate concretisation and unnecessary paving of surfaces. The basement of the Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre got flooded not only due to the collapsed drainage but also due to mindless concretisation of roadsides in the area.
Concrete surfaces do not allow water to purcolate, causing 75-95% of rainwater flowing off as run-off into the drains, which eventually overflow. “The present scale of waterlogging and local flooding in Delhi-NCR can be minimised by deconcretising open areas, roadsides and converting them into permeable spaces by undertaking surface vegetation and green landscaping. Immediate directions must be issued in this regard by the Centre as well as Delhi government,” Vashishtha opines.
Omesh Saigal, former Delhi Chief Secretary, says stormdrains should be treated as major assets; hence there should stringent action against encroachment. Agencies responsible to check encroachments should be made responsible for keeping these drains encroachment-free. Regular drives should be conducted to free the encroached space.
“Waterlogging is a major problem which requires all-out effort. There are multiple agencies in the city which have different jurisdictions over the drainage system and chalk out plans for their own areas while a common system is needed of the hour. To minimise waterlogging there should be coordination between the agencies,” the former top bureaucrat said.
He believes desilting drains can be beneficial only when there is a proper system in place otherwise the whole exercise will hardly give the desired result. “Delhi has no space left to dump waste generated for desilting exercise hence there is a need to create a separate space. Secondly, the contractors put generated waste along the drains initially and remove later. In between, if rain takes place, the material stored reverses to its original position with the flow of rain water.”
“Secondly, there are multiplicities of agencies like MCD (earlier North DMC, EDMC & SDMC), NDMC, Cantonment Board, PWD, etc are in Delhi which look after various drains under their jurisdiction. Suppose one agency finishes desilting exercise in its area and the second one has yet to finish the work, then it will have lesser benefit and if rains take place then flow of water cannot be ensured as drains, irrespective of jurisdiction, are inter connected,” Saigal added.
Manu Bhatnagar an urban planner says that earlier major parts of the city like Mehrauli, Shahjahanabad, Civil Lines, were inhabited on elevation the reason there was no flooding.
In such circumstances water needs to flow in Yamuna but due to the faulty design of drainage system, waterlogging witnesses in various parts. Civil engineering of the city is also faulty and drainage system is poor, capacity of drains is inadequate, Yamua has silt accumulation hence it affects proper drainage of rain water.
Blame game
Not just the recent incidents, the past failures have witnessed blamegames and it appears that there is a tendency to pass buck on each other. Deaths of innocent students due to flooding in the basement of a coaching institute should be seen as a combined failure of all concerned authorities but it was seen that the LG House, political and executive wings of Delhi government were running away from taking responsibility. It was also witnessed that there was no proper coordination between the government departments. Apart from this, absence of a decisive leader is also a serious concern as who will handle the crisis during such circumstances.
What went wrong in the Rajinder Nagar Incident?
Former bureaucrats claim that no commercial activity is allowed in the basement while the majority of building owners have been allowed to earn more money. Secondly, Encroachment at storm water drains should be checked and action should be taken against the encroachers as per the law. Involvement in any type of commercial practice in the basement is illegal and attracts penal action. If the agencies will conduct a survey of properties it will find many hospitals and big buildings have allowed running of commercial activities.
Dark underbelly of coaching ghettos
Many coaching centers operate out of basements and other inadequate spaces, which often violate safety regulations. Basements intended for parking or storage are converted into classrooms and libraries, leading to dangerous situations. A recent tragedy, where three students died due to flooding in a coaching center’s basement, underscores the severity of these conditions including poor infrastructure, inadequate drainage systems, and substandard living conditions.
The tragic incident has prompted the sealing of several coaching centers and the arrest of their operators. Despite these measures, the allure of high rental incomes continues to drive landlords to repurpose unsafe spaces, putting students at constant risk.
Areas like Old Rajinder Nagar, Mukherjee Nagar, Ber Sarai, Kalu Sarai, etc. have become over-crowded ghettos packed with coaching centers. Cramped accommodation and teaching facilities are handed down even in the face of exorbitant fee being charged.
Students said that they often find themselves living in overcrowded PGs (paying guest accommodations) where they pay upto Rs 15,000 per month for a small bed in a cramped room. Basic amenities like kitchens and toilets are shared among many, exacerbating the already stressful living conditions.
The Delhi L-G VK Saxena also met with the protesting students from the Old Rajinder Nagar recently who shared their plight about the general apathy of the area public representatives, MCD and Police officials, apart from exploitative rent seeking by the coaching institutions and land lords of the locality.
According to the students, the institutions that taught ethics as a subject, were themselves guilty of unethical practices.
“The psychological toll on students is significant. Moving to a new city, dealing with homesickness, and managing the intense pressure of UPSC preparation is a lot of mental stress to us,” said Shardul Singh, a UPSC aspirant from Mukherjee Nagar
Court Directions
The court’s decision came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the organization Kutumb, which sought a high-level investigation into the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants in the basement of a coaching center in Old Rajinder Nagar.
“Keeping in view the aforesaid, there is no wonder Delhi is going from one crisis to another. One day there is a drought and the next day there is a flood. It is time that the administrative, financial, and physical infrastructure of Delhi is relooked at,” stated a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
The newly formed committee, chaired by the Delhi Chief Secretary, includes prominent officials such as the Delhi Police Commissioner, the Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), and the Commissioner of the MCD. This committee has been mandated to submit a comprehensive report to the High Court within eight weeks, outlining necessary reforms and improvements.
The court’s order underscores the pressing need to upgrade Delhi’s outdated and inadequate infrastructure.
