Buried drains: The cost of makeovers

From Kushak in Defence Colony to Maharani Bagh, large stretches of stormwater drains across Delhi were covered with concrete in an attempt to 'beautify' them. But a decade later, the plan has led to a series of long-term problems

- Paras Singh and Jasjeev Gandhiok

When the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) set out between 2009 and 2013 to cover stretches of the Kushak Drain in Defence Colony, it presented an alluring picture: green parks, tidy walkways, and the erasure of an open channel that had for decades carried monsoon runoff. The move was announced after years of lobbying by residents, who complained of stench, and these drains being eyesores.

But a decade later, that plan has unravelled.

What was once a stormwater lifeline has turned into a fermentation chamber. Methane and hydrogen sulfide gases vent from sealed manholes. Slabs laid over the channel trap silt, clogging flow and leaving the colony waterlogged even after moderate rain. Now, every time these drains need to be cleaned, structures on top have to be ripped apart for agencies to have access to the drain underneath.

"None of the agencies have taken responsibility," said Bhavreen Kandhari, a Defence Colony resident and environmental activist. "After the slabs were put in, we lost access to even inspect, let alone clean or desilt, the drain. It's not surprising that year after year, the colony floods even after moderate rainfall."

The Kushak story is not unique. From Sunehri Pul to Maharani Bagh, stretches of natural stormwater drains across Delhi were boxed in with reinforced concrete and buried in an attempt to "beautify" them. But 10-15 years later, the situation is far from perfect.

A flawed vision

For hundreds of years, Delhi's stormwater network has served as the city’s circulatory system — largely natural channels carrying rainwater towards the Yamuna. Many were already contaminated by sewage inflows, but they were visible, accessible, fixable, and still functioned as flood conduits.

Around 2009, civic planners embraced a different vision: covering drains to hide the mess.