When repeated complaints by Shaheen Bagh residents to Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan and Councillor Ariba Khan for cleaning their waterlogged street went unheard, the locals decided to take matters into their own hands. Refusing to live amid filth any longer, residents of a lane behind Firdaus Masjid at Thokar No. 7 pooled together nearly ₹50,000 from their own pockets.
With the money, they hired private workers to carry out a thorough cleaning and repair of the choked sewer line a task they say should have been done by the authorities long ago. Residents stressed that this was the only way left to secure a semblance of dignity and relief from the perpetual problem of overflowing drains in Shaheen Bagh.
Shaheen Bagh resident Umair told the OT that they faced inhuman like conditions for the last 5 months as the street used to get waterlogged whether it rained or not with dirty sewer water. “This is Firdaus Masjid at Token Number 7, at the T-point, and just behind it is this lane. And as you can see behind me, the whole sewer is open. No worshippers (namazis) are able to pass through because this entire lane remains permanently filled with water ankle-deep. Now you also know, anyone going for prayers through this dirty water, their ablution (wuzu) will definitely break. All of us residents of this lane went together to the Councillor, to the MLA, to the RWA. No one gave us any kind of support.
“The MLA’s side sent three boys to this lane of Shaheen Bagh. Superficially, they put some pumps etc., the water went down for a day, and after that nothing happened. Finally, no car can come out, no scooter can come out, no bike can come out. Leave all that even walking is impossible. Children cannot go to school. Here, everywhere, latrine and filth is overflowing. You can see ahead, you can see anywhere. Finally, some of us residents decided to contribute money ourselves. So we collected around ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 and are getting the whole work done from behind here till the front, up to Gate No. 8, where the entry starts at Kargil Apartments. Up to Gate 8, outside till Market Basket, the work is done. Today, the whole lane will be completed, if your prayers remain with us,” he said.
Imtiyaz said: “For the last three to four months, this has been our state. We are living like animals and can’t go out, can’t come in. When no action was taken by the responsible representatives of the area finally, Faizan, Noor, and Siraj took initiative. We thought, let’s join them. And because of them, the work is happening, and hopefully it will be completed today. For four months, all the roads were flooded with sewer water. We can’t even explain how we survived these months. Families were in distress. My wife even fell once in the dirty water. We can’t describe the hardships.”
Another resident Mohammad Anis said the cleaning work are getting done with our own money.
“Everyone came together. Neither the Councillor, nor the MLA, nor the RWA played any role. Our MLA should think about this. We voted for him, so that we don’t face such troubles. But now, despite having an MLA and Councillor, our right to live decently has been snatched away. We collected whatever people could give ₹500, ₹200, ₹100 depending on capacity. In total, around ₹50,000 was collected. With that money, this work is being done,” said Hanif providing details how the fund was generated.
Another resident, who was standing in the crowd as men were busy cleaning the gutter, told the OT that even with a little rainfall or sometimes even without rainfall these gutters keep overflowing 24/7. “So, unitedly, we residents pooled money from our own pockets, going door to door, and hired people to carry out this cleaning work. We hope this cleaning brings us some relief. The work is being carried out from D-Block to Lane No. 7 and up to Lane No. 8. It has cost a lot of money. People have cooperated, and with great difficulty, this was possible,” he said.
Mudassir Hashmi from Shaheen Bagh said that for days residents endured the problem with patience, hoping that the authorities would step in and resolve the issue. But when their expectations were met with silence and inaction, the residents decided to take matters into their own hands. Pooling their hard-earned money together, the residents ensured that the work was finally carried out a testament to their unity and determination to live with dignity.
The overflowing sewers of Shaheen Bagh have turned into a symbol of neglect. While residents continue to struggle, pooling scarce resources for survival, their elected representatives have failed to deliver on even the most basic civic needs: Sanitation and clean living conditions. The residents’ message is clear: “We voted for our leaders in hope, but today, only our unity is saving us.”
