Delhi: Four drown in Munak Canal, search ops on

While initial reports suggested the boys had entered the canal for a swim, police later clarified it was an accident

At least four people, including three minors aged 13, 14 and 17 years, drowned after they were swept away in the Munak Canal in northwest Delhi’s Bawana area on Thursday morning after a sudden surge in the water’s current. Two of the bodies were recovered by divers in the afternoon, but the search for the other two, brothers aged 17 and 18, continued late into the evening.

The accident took place in the section of the canal behind CISF Camp in Bawana. (HT Photos)

While initial reports suggested the boys had entered the canal for a swim, police later clarified it was an accident. One boy is believed to have slipped, prompting the others to jump in to save him. The four were then dragged away by the strong current, said deputy commissioner of police (outer-north) Nidhin Valsan.

The accident took place in the section of the canal behind the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Camp in Bawana.

“Prima facie, it appears that the canal’s water level was unusually high due to heavy rain the previous night. The current may have caused the victims to drown and be washed away. Two bodies have been recovered. Efforts to locate the remaining two are ongoing,” Valsan said. A case is being registered at Narela police station.

A police officer, asking to remain anonymous, said the father of the two missing boys works at a gaushala (cow shelter) in Katewara village and lived there with his sons, who also helped with the work. The other boys were relatives or children of other gaushala workers. On Thursday morning, the six had gone to collect grass for cattle when they reached the canal.

Based on the statements of the survivors, one 13-year-old boy slipped into the canal and began shouting for help. One by one, the others jumped in to rescue him. But the strong current overwhelmed them, washing away four of the six. The surviving boys raised an alarm around noon, and emergency services were called.

“The five jumped into the canal one after another to save the 13-year-old. Only two of them managed to come out, and raise alarm with locals who were nearby” said the officer cited above.

Harish Kumar, in charge of the Boat Club, said a search and rescue operation was launched with six trained divers and a motorboat, covering a five-kilometre stretch of the canal towards Delhi’s Haiderpur.

While two bodies were recovered, the operation had to be called off around 8pm and will resume Friday morning.

“Our divers fished out the bodies of two boys in the afternoon, but the other two bodies could not be found despite the search operation going on for nearly seven hours. We will resume our efforts on Friday morning,” said Kumar.

Some residents and family members alleged there was a delay of nearly an hour in launching the rescue. While officials denied any negligence, Kumar admitted the rescue teams, based at Kashmere Gate, received the alert at 12.15pm and arrived at the site around 1pm due to the 30-kilometre distance.

The Munak Canal is a 102-kilometre-long aqueduct forming part of the Western Yamuna Canal network. Originating in Haryana’s Karnal district, it carries raw Yamuna water to Delhi’s Haiderpur Water Treatment Plant through the Channel Lined Canal (CLC) and the Delhi Sub Branch (DSB). While the CLC has boundary walls, the DSB is an unlined open channel — both posing serious safety risks.

Police said drownings in the canal are common, especially during summer, when locals often use it for bathing. “Children and teenagers see it as a place to cool off. Unfortunately, few understand how treacherous the current can be,” a police officer said.