Water up to their necks. Floating plastic chairs. Houses submerged in water. This is the ordeal of the residents of Valmiki Basti in South Delhi’s Asola every monsoon.

“Log bolte hai barish ho toh garmi kam hogi, lekin humare liye toh musibat aati hai (People say once it rains, the heat reduces. But it becomes a problem for us),” said 60-year-old Krishna, standing outside her home.

Valmiki Basti is home to nearly 500 families, most of them Dalits working as sanitation workers. As it rained in Delhi over the past few days, water entered several homes, leaving these families anxious about what the monsoon may bring.

At the centre of their worries is a natural drain that begins in the Aravalis and cuts through parts of Asola before emptying into a pond near the neighbouring Fatehpur Beri. This drain was once free-flowing but turns into a dangerous chokepoint every time it rains heavily, threatening homes with overflowing water. A solution has remained out of reach despite court orders, official visits, and endless assurances. 

The Delhi government now claims to be working on a “permanent” fix after a sharp rebuke from the Delhi High Court last month. But on the ground, hope is wearing thin.

Draft plan of the Asola drain

Blocked

The Asola drain, originating in the Aravalis, begins its course near the Radha Soami Ashram in South Delhi. Delhi government records describe it as a natural drainage channel, designed to handle heavy stormwater from its catchment upstream of the Asola Bundh. After branching off from its catchment at the Asola Bundh, the drain cuts through the villages of Asola and Fatehpur Beri. As it crosses the 100-foot-wide SSN Marg, it enters the Valmiki Basti in Asola village. And about 800 m downstream, it empties into a large pond just behind Fatehpur Beri. There is no outlet from this pond, and the water has nowhere to go.

“This water has been collecting for years. When it overflows into our colonies, people fall sick. It spreads all kinds of diseases,” said Rishipal Mahashay, a resident of Fatehpur Beri who has been leading the legal battle to find a solution for the drain, pursuing the matter in both the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi High Court.

“Every time, we are forced to go to court just to get the administration to act. In court, they make promises and say all the right things. But on the ground, nothing really changes,” he........

© newslaundry