Delhi, hailed as a historically bustling metropolis and a hub of opportunities, has now earned a sinister reputation: that of urban dysfunction, claiming countless lives. As floods ravage its streets and infrastructure crumbles under the weight of neglect, authorities such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and Public Works Department (PWD) deflect.
The city’s inability to address its flood management was shockingly revealed after the recent tragedy in Old Rajender Nagar where three young lives were lost. Students poured onto the streets in protest, and the incident reverberated in the Parliament. Yet, the city remained indifferent, perpetuating a cycle of disaster and inaction that leaves Delhi perpetually on the brink of a catastrophe.
Old Rajender Nagar, in central Delhi, is known for its dense concentration of coaching institutes and is home to the proliferating population of civil services aspirants who live in exorbitantly priced and congested accommodation. Following heavy rain on the evening of July 27, three students of Rau’s IAS study circle, a prominent coaching institute, drowned in the institute’s waterlogged basement.
Also Read | Delhi floods: Will urbanisation of Yamuna floodplains sink the capital?
Ritik Mishra, hailing from Banaras and studying at Vajiram & Ravi’s, told Frontline that the student protest was not just a reaction to a singular event. “This protest had been building up among students for a long time. This incident was just the trigger. Systematic issues plague Delhi’s infrastructure and safety regulations,” he added. Another protestor and a witness to the incident, Ankit Chauhan, said, “Every time it rains, even a little, this road gets flooded. This is not a new occurrence. That night, the water slowly entered the basement, and the situation deteriorated rapidly.”
In the vicinity, Kumar Book Store operates from the basement. Durgesh, an employee at the store, mentioned that given the frequency of floods, the storeowner has installed water pumps to remove excess water. He argued, “Even if it rains for 20 minutes, water rises to three to four feet. The police see it, the MCD sees it but no one takes action. The coaching institutes are not the only ones to blame: it is a systemic failure.”
Former head of urban design at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, K.T. Ravindran highlighted how zoning regulations have influenced the current situation. “When they allowed mixed-use in housing, it was intended for additional income,” he noted. “Delhi was divided into different areas and grades, and smaller plots were permitted more mixed-use. This led to residential buildings being used for commercial purposes, including coaching centres.”
A huge population of marginalised communities lives on the banks of Yamuna without a roof over their heads. | Photo Credit: Vedaant Lakhera
He pointed out that while basements were originally designated for storage, they were later permitted to be used as libraries. Ravindran criticised the flawed regulations, stating that when a basement is used as a library, it becomes an assembly function, like an auditorium or hall, requiring stringent regulations such as at least two exits, limitations on the number of people, an external stairway and outwards-opening windows, and proper ventilation. “You can’t call what happened in the basement of Rajender Nagar a violation as such; it is the law that is flawed,” he said.
Dunu Roy, the director of Hazards Centre, an NGO that provides professional and community services to labour organisations, presents a historical and geographical perspective on the area. “Rajender Nagar is west of the Northern Ridge, which begins from Delhi University. It was where the first resettlement took place when the bastis near the Red Fort were evicted during British times. They were resettled across the ridge into what was then called the western extension.”
Roy described the area’s drainage challenges: “This is the western drainage of Delhi, flowing into the Najafgarh. The western extension area expanded until Rajender Nagar came up. It’s right in the path of the drainage. Major constructions, such as Pusa Road, have blocked this natural flow.” According to Roy, the developments of flyovers and metro stations along Pusa Road have compounded the issue by creating blockages in the drainage system, as the six-lane road has no drainage provision under it. “When Pusa Road was built up, the water flowing from the Northern Ridge was meant to eventually land up in Najafgarh Nalla. But now it accumulates in areas such as Karol Bagh and nearby regions, with no escape route.”
In recent years, the inadequacies in Delhi’s infrastructure have come increasingly into the spotlight. On August 12, Delhi and the National Capital Region experienced heavy rains that undermined the civic framework, leading to severe waterlogging on major transportation routes and significant traffic holdups. Gurugram witnessed numerous vehicle breakdowns and uprooted trees, while public parks in Noida sectors 31, 122 and 52 were submerged following the rains, unveiling the capital’s vulnerable infrastructure.
Roy observed that recent infrastructure developments intended to improve transportation, such as signal-free traffic routes, wide roads, and metro lines, have exacerbated drainage issues. “Drainage follows balance, it moves from high ground to low ground, whereas transportation infrastructure is engineered to move along the contour,” he explained.
Aspirants voicing their solidarity with those who lost their lives in Old Rajendra Nagar tragedy. | Photo Credit: Vedaant Lakhera
Geographically, Delhi’s layout complicates these issues further. The city’s core is surrounded by the remnants of the Aravalli Range, creating a natural drainage basin. This bowl-shaped topography ensures that all water will go into the Barapullah and then flow into the Yamuna. “Any construction in the drainage basin will create floods and waterlogging,” Roy said. Issues similar to those seen in Old Rajender Nagar are observed in Nizamuddin, where railway infrastructure and increased traffic have blocked water flow.
According to K.T. Ravindran, these “infrastructural faults” were embedded in the foundational blueprints of many roads. The Minto Bridge underpass, infamous for its regular waterlogging, is a result of such flawed designs. “Before the bridge was built, it was a depressed area. After the railway lines were laid, it became a ditch with sewage lines running along it up to the Yamuna river. A kilometer-long area was left unattended which has led to the problems we see today,” he explained. “It can be easily conceived by the way these railway tracks are built, that it will invite water. The MCD wasn’t even born at that time when all these railway lines were laid.”
Gautam Bhatia, an architect based in Delhi, highlighted the repercussions of poor urban development across Delhi. He explained that negligence in the planning has led to infrastructural ramifications. “In Defence Colony, there was a nalla that flowed into the Yamuna river. The civic developers levelled it and built a garden in its place. As a result, the water that was meant to flow freely from the higher areas towards the river faces obstacles. So whenever there is excess rainfall, the houses along the nallas get flooded.” he told Frontline.
Urban planners have historically neglected to account for water flow, often blaming the poor who occupy the banks of streams and nallas. These individuals are frequently labelled as “illegal occupants” and their homes are demolished once the land is acquired by the DDA or private entities. This oversight neglects the fact that these areas, once natural floodplains are crucial to the city’s drainage system.
Also Read | Only 25 per cent of India’s flood-exposed districts have EWS: CEEW report
The Yamuna floodplains, in particular, have suffered due to arbitrary changing land use patterns. Once serving as natural buffers to absorb excess water and mitigate flooding, with urban sprawl and the expansionist view of development, large portions of the floodplains have been converted into residential and commercial areas, drastically reducing their natural capacity to manage water. “They evicted the slum residents on the grounds of unauthorised occupation and reclaimed the land as legal development,” noted Roy. “In the first master plan, the floodplain was marked to remain free of any encroachments. With the second master plan, it became available to be used for development,” said Roy. “The DDA is responsible for damaging the floodplain, having built the Commonwealth Games Village, structures for the Asian Games, and a CRPF camp. They avoid responsibility and instead blame the poor.”
Ravindran highlighted the risks associated with construction on the floodplain: “If we experience an earthquake of two or three on the Richter scale, it wouldn’t be the same on the riverbed. The riverbed will experience something of four or five, which poses a huge threat to any establishment on the floodplain.”
No safeguards in place
Neeru Devi, who has lived on the Yamuna floodplain for almost 20 years, has been constantly displaced due to floods and demolitions. She currently lives close to the Yamuna Bank metro station. “Earlier we lived closer to the river but had to move due to frequent floods. We moved here after last year’s flood,” she said, referring to the widespread flooding of 2023. Neeru added that other residents include those whose make-shift homes were demolished by the DDA for a proposed biodiversity park. Sunita Devi, another resident, said, “In the 20 years I have lived here, I have had to move my home 15-20 times. Last year, the floods were so severe that I went back to my village in Bengal.”
There are no safeguards in place to protect the city’s residents in case last year’s floods repeat. “This administration is dedicated to being called investor friendly; they will protect investors, not the people,” remarked Roy.
Houses covered by tarpaulin showcase the grim reality of those from underprivileged backgrounds | Photo Credit: Vitasta Kaul
The Delhi Master Plans focus heavily on expanding infrastructure, but there is a glaring absence of a comprehensive “Water Master Plan”. Ravindran emphasised the necessity of a dedicated approach to water management: “A concerted attempt at creating a plan, which has water management as its primary issue is crucial. We should be focusing on harnessing water as a resource while disposing of sewage and managing floods. The current master plans only offer pragmatic solutions to few of the problems that a growing city faces.”
The distinction between sewage and stormwater drainage systems is often misunderstood. Roy pointed out this fundamental difference: “Sewerage has nothing to do with water drainage. Sewerage is supposed to be a separate system, enclosed system, while drainage is an open system, like nallas.” He added, “Since the stormwater drainage nallas are all blocked, all the water from the roof leads off into the sewer, which cannot accommodate it.” This mixing of two functionally different systems, he said, compounds the problems of both flooding and Delhi’s sewerage system.
The management of Delhi’s infrastructure is complicated by the multiple authorities involved, including the DDA, PWD, and various municipal corporations. This fragmented approach is often seen to lead to finger-pointing and a lack of coordinated action. The DDA, controlled by the Central government, which oversees significant aspects of land use and planning, frequently blames the MCD for the capital’s infrastructure issues.
Bhatia highlighted the need for independent oversight: “It is quite a shame that urban design is not an important consideration in India, leading to many sub-standard ideas being promoted. The quality of construction has worsened, and there is an urgent need for an independent commission to oversee and hold the authorities accountable.”
The ongoing tussle between the Central and State governments complicates urban management. The blame game never seems to stop, as seen during the Old Rajender Nagar incident, where the BJP and AAP were quick to blame each other for inadequate drainage and flood management. Ravindran noted, “All parties are interested in money and land and therefore profit. They are not very different from each other. Ideologically there is no shift at all.” In this power struggle, the public is left bearing the brunt, facing persistent infrastructure failures without any constructive resolution of their problems.
COMMents
SHARE