Irrigation dept flagged need to clear excess water in 2023, work not implemented

A UP-Irrigation Department letter to the Noida Authority flagged the need to construct head regulators to flush out accumulated rain and drain water in Sector 150, Noida, where a software engineer died after his car plunged into a water-filled pit. However, the project was never taken up.

Locals who carried out protest marches said the tragedy could have been avoided if the proposed head regulators been constructed, as the accumulated water would have been flushed out instead of stagnating at the site.

A head regulator regulates water flow and prevents excess silt in a drain or canal. When contacted, a Noida Authority official on Monday said he was not aware of the letter from the Irrigation Department, which was accessed by PTI.

Yuvraj Mehta (27) was killed in the early hours of Saturday after his car skidded in dense fog, broke the drain boundary and fell into a deep, waterlogged pit dug for the basement of an under-construction commercial complex near a drain in Sector 150.

Noida Police has filed an FIR against two real estate developers and the state Government has ordered an SIT probe into the case. The engineer’s father, Raj Kumar Mehta, alleged negligence by local authorities and demanded that accountability be set in the case.

According to an official communication issued by the UP-Irrigation Department in 2023, officials had formally informed the Noida Authority about the need to install head regulators in Sector 150 to clear excess rainwater and drainage discharge by channelising it into the Hindon River.

The communication also mentioned that budgetary provisions had been made for the proposed work but the project never materialised.

Officials said the partially constructed basement where Mehta’s car fell had accumulated water not only due to rainfall but also because of continuous discharge from drains linked to nearby residential societies.

With restrictions on releasing excess water into the Hindon River, the water level at the site kept rising over time.

The Noida Authority has installed barricades at the site following protests by locals on Saturday and Sunday.

Residents of Sector 150 have alleged that the absence of proper drainage infrastructure and safety measures around the construction site directly contributed to the accident. They claimed repeated complaints were made to authorities about waterlogging and a lack of barricading near the drain.

Police have registered an FIR against two real estate developers, M/s Wishtown Planners and Lotus Greens in connection with the matter on the basis of a complaint lodged at Knowledge Park Police Station by the techie’s father.

“It alleged that a pit about 50 feet deep had been excavated at the site and had turned into a water body resembling a lake or pond,” he stated in the complaint.

“There was no barricading or reflective signage around the plot, which led to the accident. It alleged gross negligence on the part of the planners and developers,” he said.