Sinking Feeling: Delhi's Open Drains, Canals & Flooded Underpasses Claimed 89 Lives In 2 Years

A total of 89 people have died across Delhi after falling into open drains, canals, or waterlogged underpasses during calendar years 2024 and 2025—close to four deaths every month.

These deaths, as shared by the Delhi revenue department in the assembly, were among the 239 deaths that were registered across the city between January 1, 2024, and December 28, 2025, due to civic apathy or calamity, including building and wall collapse, fire, or electrocution.

The highest share of deaths was attributed to drowning at 89, followed by fire (53), building collapse due to rain (46), and electrocution (three). A total of 48 deaths were attributed to other reasons.

Most of these deaths were related to rains, but a good number were attributed to people falling

into open drains and canals—from toddlers playing outside their homes to commuters trying to cross flooded underpasses, the victims cut across age and locality.

Last week, a man died in Noida, reigniting the debate on urban safety, particularly in the Delhi-NCR area.

Yuvraj Mehta was killed in Noida after his car skidded in dense fog. The vehicle broke a drain boundary and fell into a deep, waterlogged pit meant for the basement of an under-construction commercial complex near a drain.

Delhi’s own records show the danger has long been present—hidden in plain sight, along open drains and canals across the city.

Among the deaths reported in Delhi is a case from July 2025, where a four-year-old boy died after falling into an open drain in Mahindra Park, with police registering negligence proceedings against the responsible civic body.

In August 2025, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy died after falling into an open sewer in the Khera Khurd area.

In November 2024, a 13-year-old boy slipped into an open drain and drowned while he was heading towards a playground near his house in Rajendra Park Extension.

In September 2024, a 32-year-old man drowned after falling into an open drain in northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura while he was returning home.

In August 2024, the body of a seven-year-old boy was found in a drain in the Ashok Vihar area. In a separate incident, the same month, a 35-year-old man died after falling into a shallow drain in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar East.

The list also included deaths related to waterlogging and rain. In June 2024, a man died due to drowning in waterlogged rainwater at the Sarita Vihar underpass in South Delhi after his scooter rider route was blocked by deep water.

In August 2024, a seven-year-old boy drowned in a waterlogged park in Rohini’s Sector 20 when he was playing in the park. The same month, a woman and her child died by drowning after falling into a waterlogged drain in Ghazipur, near Mayur Vihar. That month, another 15-year-old boy died due to drowning in the Chanakyapuri area after heavy rain.

In March 2025, a three-year-old boy drowned in an open drain while playing with his sister outside his house in Khajuri Khas.

In August 2025, the bodies of two boys were found in a canal in Bharat Nagar, a day after their families reported they went missing from JJ Colony in Wazirpur.

With drowning accounting for the highest share of civic-related deaths in the city over the past two years, the national capital is in need of urgent preventive measures ranging from covering drains, fencing canals, and shutting waterlogged underpasses during heavy rain. Without structural fixes, Delhi’s official data suggests that fatalities linked to civic neglect may continue to rise.