Open drains threaten pedestrians in Delhi

The death of a 55-yearold businessman after falling into a storm water drain in New Ashok Nagar highlights the irresponsible attitude of the civic bodies in covering drains and replacing damaged slabs.

Residents say most drains constructed along by-lanes are not covered with concrete slabs. At places where slabs exist they are mostly damaged. Several accidents have been reported across the city in which people have fallen into the drains after failing to see them after heavy rain and waterlogging.

In 2016, a three-year-old girl died after falling into an uncovered drain in south-east Delhi’s Sriniwaspuri. Police said one of the slabs covering the drain was partially broken, leaving a gap big enough for the child to slip in.

In another case in 2016, a seven-year-old boy died after drowning in an open drain at a park in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar.

Shyama Sachdeva, a resident of Mandakini Enclave, complained about the missing slabs of the PWD drain on Alaknanda Road. “The slabs are damaged or missing and water overflows on the roads. The area has become unsafe for pedestrians,” he said.

Shopkeepers and residents across the city say there have been many instances of people falling into the drains.

However, a PWD official said there is no hard and fast rule for covering the storm water drains. “...Covering the storm water drains is not mandatory,” said the PWD official.

Even the MCD officials maintained that only the drains connected to sewer lines are supposed to be covered. “We do check the drains located close to highly populated areas to avoid any mishap but for rain water drains there is no clear cut direction,” said the official.

The drain, in which the businessman fell, however, was one which should have been covered.

“If it is a huge nullah then it should not be covered so that rain water can easily follow in to it and no waterlogging happens. But if any storm drain, especially the huge one, is passing through the residential areas then it should be mandatorily covered,” said KS Mehra, ex-commissioner MCD.