Under concrete

Major open stormwater drains in the city, such as the Kushak drain, Maharani Bagh drain, Sunehri Pul drain, and Chirag Delhi drain, have been covered, leading to silt accumulation in South Delhi.

- 

Delhi chose to cover them, he said. “Concrete was the last nail in the coffin. All drains need to be uncovered before the backflow creates even more trouble.”

Ironically, the push to cover drains came also from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and citizens.

At the time, people were fed up with the stench, explained Atul Goyal, head of URJA (United RWAs Joint Action). “First the houses came up along drains knowing very well that these drains were part of the locality. Rather than tackling the sewage, covering them only led people to close their eyes to the underlying problem,” he said.