NEW DELHI: Residents of Greater Kailash II are facing a strange problem these days. Their basements are getting flooded every day, with water seeping in from the ground and walls. Residents claimed that basements of houses in M, E, S and some other blocks are inundated in a foot and a half of water, but neither drains nor water supply pipes seem to be the source of the extra water.
Anurag Aggarwal, resident of M-85, was the first to face this problem around a month ago. “Minor seepage in the basement after heavy rains was common in our three-decade-old house,” he said. “However, in the past month, seepage takes place even when there is no rain.” TOI visited his house on Friday and confirmed the water collection in the basement.
Worried that the stagnant water could damage the house foundations, Aggarwal took the matter to PWD. “My house is located next to M Block market, and I thought the PWD drains were leaking water,” said Aggarwal. “But a PWD team physically verified the site and noticed no problems. I then contacted Delhi Jal Board to see if its newly laid supply line had developed leaks.”
When Aggarwal approached DJB, other residents of M, S and E blocks also reported basement seepage. Yotsna Attree, resident of M 83, was certain that DJB’s new supply line was behind the seepage. Atree said, “The water oozed out as if from a tap and within no time, there was knee-deep water in my 300 sq ft basement.”
A DJB team investigated and an official said, “On residents' demand, we checked the water pipes and even dug up the roads in several places but detected no leakage.” Flummoxed by the problem, the residents approached the local MLA, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and the Central Ground Water Board. The DJB official added, “CGWB has now taken over the matter and we are assisting them. We have shared maps of water pipelines with them.”
Residents told TOI that a CGWB team led by a senior scientist inspected the basements last week and checked the borewells in the parks. “To our surprise, groundwater was available at a depth of a mere 15 feet. Some time back, it was at a depth of around 100 feet,” said Sanjay Rana, president, GK II RWA. “CGWB officials have taken water samples and refused to come to any conclusion immediately. They have, however, written a letter to DJB asking them to shut down the new 600 mm supply line for 36 hours to help them ascertain the cause of the flooding.”
While CGWB officials refused to comment on the development, S Block resident Shyam Kalra reported, “On Friday, a joint inspection was carried out by officials from the district magistrate’s office, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and DJB. Already 15-20 houses are facing the problem, and more houses are being added to the list.
Anurag Aggarwal, resident of M-85, was the first to face this problem around a month ago. “Minor seepage in the basement after heavy rains was common in our three-decade-old house,” he said. “However, in the past month, seepage takes place even when there is no rain.” TOI visited his house on Friday and confirmed the water collection in the basement.
Worried that the stagnant water could damage the house foundations, Aggarwal took the matter to PWD. “My house is located next to M Block market, and I thought the PWD drains were leaking water,” said Aggarwal. “But a PWD team physically verified the site and noticed no problems. I then contacted Delhi Jal Board to see if its newly laid supply line had developed leaks.”
When Aggarwal approached DJB, other residents of M, S and E blocks also reported basement seepage. Yotsna Attree, resident of M 83, was certain that DJB’s new supply line was behind the seepage. Atree said, “The water oozed out as if from a tap and within no time, there was knee-deep water in my 300 sq ft basement.”
A DJB team investigated and an official said, “On residents' demand, we checked the water pipes and even dug up the roads in several places but detected no leakage.” Flummoxed by the problem, the residents approached the local MLA, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and the Central Ground Water Board. The DJB official added, “CGWB has now taken over the matter and we are assisting them. We have shared maps of water pipelines with them.”
Residents told TOI that a CGWB team led by a senior scientist inspected the basements last week and checked the borewells in the parks. “To our surprise, groundwater was available at a depth of a mere 15 feet. Some time back, it was at a depth of around 100 feet,” said Sanjay Rana, president, GK II RWA. “CGWB officials have taken water samples and refused to come to any conclusion immediately. They have, however, written a letter to DJB asking them to shut down the new 600 mm supply line for 36 hours to help them ascertain the cause of the flooding.”
While CGWB officials refused to comment on the development, S Block resident Shyam Kalra reported, “On Friday, a joint inspection was carried out by officials from the district magistrate’s office, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and DJB. Already 15-20 houses are facing the problem, and more houses are being added to the list.
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