Jasola Village, located next to Shaheen Bagh, has been reeling under severe waterlogging for the past 36 hours, with floodwaters showing no sign of receding. Frustrated residents say the situation is sliding from bad to worse by the hour. Local resident Irfan described the crisis as unprecedented, warning that if the water stagnation continues for more days, it could cause serious structural damage to houses.
“Many basements, including that of Jamia Cooperative Bank, are already submerged,” he said. “Over 1,000 residents are virtually trapped in their flats, and even water suppliers have stopped coming as the rising water levels make access impossible. “My son’s scooty, parked on the ground floor, was almost ruined after floodwater seeped into it. I struggled for hours, trying every trick I knew, before finally managing to get it started just so my son wouldn’t miss his office,” the resident recounted, still visibly shaken by the ordeal.
On Sunday night, many residents were seen sitting outside their waterlogged homes, anxiously discussing how the crisis might be resolved. Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan visited Jasola Village that evening to assess the grim situation.
“A huge volume of water has been released into Jasola Village, and conditions are dire. Some residents even told me that a fatal incident has occurred. I appeal to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to urgently intervene and address this crisis. I have already sent videos and photos to a Delhi Minister, yet no action has been taken. In the past 10 years of AAP governance, I have never seen anything like this,” the MLA said.
According to residents, Khan arrived about 16 hours after the flooding began. Although he stayed on-site and made efforts to have the water drained, they said, the situation remained unchanged.
Noor Nagar resident and local Congress leader Azeem Fouzul, who rushed to the spot, painted a grim picture of the scene. “It’s been 24 hours,” he said, “and the rainwater… maybe it’s drained elsewhere, I don’t know, but here in Jasola Village, it feels as if we’re stranded on a seashore. Waves of murky water lap against the doorsteps, and the stench is unbearable. Tomorrow morning, children will have to wade through this mess just to get to school. Today being Sunday, traffic was light but come Monday, when parents escort their kids, you can already imagine the chaos and distress. We’ve waited an entire day, yet the water hasn’t receded; instead, it’s creeping higher, swallowing more ground. This is the MLA’s constituency, yet instead of solutions, we’re witnessing an endless blame game between the authorities while residents suffer.”
Residents are still forced to wade through knee-deep, filthy water, risking their safety with every step. One local, visibly frustrated, said the ordeal began at around 10 pm on Saturday and since then, not a single MCD official has set foot in the area.
“Holes have been dug, but nothing is helping,” he said, his voice tinged with exhaustion. “Only ordinary people are here, helping each other. Our homes are submerged, electricity is cut to avoid any untoward incidents, and we’ve been without power for 24 hours. Children are crying. We can’t even cook food. On the ground floors, it’s unbearable,” he said.
Azeem Fouzul pointed out that the situation in Jasola Village could have been avoided entirely had drain maintenance been carried out regularly. “This disaster is the result of sheer negligence,” he remarked.
Amid the chaos, a resident stood deep in the water, acting as a human guidepost for stranded bikers and pedestrians. “Water has entered houses, banks, everything,” he explained. “Clothes, bedding everything is soaked. People have no place to sleep. Beds are out on the streets; people are sitting or lying there because their rooms are full of water. MLA Khan came, but what can he really do now? The MCD officials are the ones responsible for this drainage mess. Now there’s traffic jam, people are suffering, and an accident could happen anytime.”
A resident recounted a tragic incident, claiming that a young child lost his life after falling into stagnant water inside a jhuggi. “In the village, water had gushed into a house. The parents, preoccupied with moving their belongings to safety, didn’t realise the child had slipped under a cot into the water. By the time they found him and rushed to the hospital, doctors pronounced him dead. He was barely four years old,” the resident said.
The man described his own plight: “At my house, water has completely taken over. I have seven rental rooms, and my tenants’ possessions are floating around like debris. There’s no dry spot to sleep. The basement is entirely under water.”
The OT could not independently verify the incident. In times of crisis, misinformation and rumours often spread quickly.
A foul stench clings to the air, mixing with the faint flicker of mobile phone torches that barely pierce the darkness. Jasola Village, once echoing with the lively chatter of markets and the serene rhythm of village life, now stands submerged in despair. Uncertain of when the waters will retreat, residents are left adrift in helplessness, their days and nights measured only by the slow, cruel passing of time.
