2-year-old dies after falling in open drain

A two-year-old girl in north Delhi died after falling into an uncovered drain. Her family blames negligence by civic authorities for the tragedy.

A two-year-old girl allegedly died after falling into an uncovered drain outside her house in north Delhi’s Mukundpur area on Sunday afternoon, police said, adding that a case has been registered under charges of causing death by negligence.

The girl’s father, 31, who runs a dairy and general goods shop on the ground floor of their house, said a drain approximately three feet wide and four feet deep runs outside their residence. It is usually covered with concrete slabs, but some portions were left open after a recent cleaning exercise, he added. (Representational image)

The child lived with her parents in the Eshu Vihar locality and was a single child. Police said her body was found in the drain after a search by family and locals. The Bhalswa Dairy police took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem. The body was handed over to the family on Monday.

The girl’s father, 31, who runs a dairy and general goods shop on the ground floor of their house, said a drain approximately three feet wide and four feet deep runs outside their residence. It is usually covered with concrete slabs, but some portions were left open after a recent cleaning exercise, he added.

“If the drain had been properly covered, my daughter would be alive today,” the father said, demanding strict action against those responsible.

It is yet to be ascertained if any contractor was engaged for desilting. Police said that drains are required to be covered after maintenance work as per standard safety norms.

Her paternal uncle said sanitation workers had removed some slabs a few days ago to clear silt but did not put them back.

Family members said the girl was playing outside around 11:am when she went missing. “Her mother called her for lunch, but she didn’t respond. We began searching immediately,” the uncle said.

Her family then circulated the child’s photograph on WhatsApp groups. Neighbours joined the search, suspecting she might have fallen into the drain. Locals used bamboo sticks to check the open sections, the uncle said.

“After some time, we removed a slab and found her submerged,” the uncle added. The girl was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival.

Her uncle said the entire neighbourhood was agitated by the alleged negligence by civic authorities.

A senior police officer said they were yet to ascertain whether the drain falls under the jurisdiction of the flood control department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) or the Public Works Department (PWD).

“We will seek details regarding maintenance and safety compliance. Further action will be taken based on the findings,” the officer added.

The uncle said open drains in the area pose a constant risk, especially for children and alleged that no action has been taken despite repeated complaints to local authorities.

Despite multiple attempts from HT, PWD and MCD did not respond to requests for comment till the time of publication.