Drain breach floods Ghaziabad highrise, dozens of vehicles submerged

Residents of the society, which has 24 towers ranging from 26 to 28 storeys, said water entered both Phase 1 and 2 basements

Scores of residents of Prateek Grand Society in Siddharth Vihar staged a protest on Friday evening after a decades-old drain belonging to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation breached, leading to severe waterlogging in the basements of the high-rise and leaving dozens of vehicles submerged. The protest, which drew the attention of the district administration, followed hours of disruption with lifts shut down, seniors and children stranded on upper floors, and residents forced to arrange private towing services to retrieve their cars and two-wheelers.

Residents of Prateek Grand Society in Ghaziabad met UP minister Narendra Kashyap on Saturday to raise concerns about dirty water flooding the basement, following a major drain breach in the area. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The breached drain, with an estimated capacity of 30 million litres per day (MLD), carries stormwater from Vijay Nagar and Pratap Vihar through Siddharth Vihar before merging into the Hindon River. Officials said multiple agencies, including the municipal corporation and UP Avas Vikas Parishad (housing board), are working on “war-footing” to plug the breach — a process expected to take another one or two days.

“The developer, while digging the basement, did not construct a retaining wall, which caused the drain to breach and led to flooding. Though the drain is ours, the site falls under UP Avas Vikas jurisdiction,” said Vikramaditya Malik, Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner. He added that the housing board is already working on a new cemented drain in its area to avoid such incidents in future.

Residents of the society, which has 24 towers ranging from 26 to 28 storeys, said water entered both Phase 1 and 2 basements. “Dozens of cars and two-wheelers are submerged. Lifts are shut, and residents are using stairs. Many senior citizens and children are stuck in flats for nearly two days,” said Shashi Kukreti, a resident. “We had to pay for private towing to get our vehicles out,” added Sandhya Tyagi, who lives on the 24th floor.

Ghaziabad mayor Sunita Dayal, who visited the society, directed the Awas Vikas Parishad to file an FIR against the builder for alleged negligence after a drain wall collapse flooded a basement, and ordered immediate flood-control measures.

The housing board acknowledged the poor condition of the drain and its contribution to the flooding. “This is a 50-year-old uncemented drain belonging to the corporation. No one has cemented it all these years. We are now building a new cemented drain at an estimated cost of ₹20 crore in our area,” said AK Mittal, superintending engineer, UP Avas Vikas.

Meanwhile, the Prateek Group, which developed the society, blamed another private developer for blocking the drain’s flow. “The drain flows through another project where the developer allegedly altered its course and blocked it at several points, increasing water pressure on our end,” said a spokesperson. “We’ve clarified this to the district magistrate and municipal officials. Our team of 60–70 workers is pumping out water from the basement, and we’re receiving support from residents. The situation will normalise in one to two days,” the spokesperson added.

UP Avas Vikas officials said an inquiry will follow to determine responsibility. “Apparently, the second developer did not divert the drain properly. We’ll investigate after resolving the present issue. For now, water is being flushed into nearby open fields,” said Mittal.