Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Wednesday directed civic agencies to tackle waterlogging in schools across Nithari, Kirari, Molarband, and Madanpur Khadar.
Sood noted that flooding of schools has been a recurring problem and asked officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to work on a permanent solution. He said the plan should be implemented in phases to address all aspects of inundation.
As immediate measures, the minister ordered cleaning and desilting of drains and removal of stagnant water from school premises. To prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria, he instructed agencies to spray mosquito-control and anti-larvae medicines in the affected schools.
The minister also blamed the previous Delhi government, particularly the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), for the recurring flooding, alleging that several schools in Nithari were rebuilt on low-lying land without proper planning. “Negligence of previous governments has worsened the condition of schools, putting the safety of young children at serious risk,” Sood said.
He claimed that earlier governments failed to comply with building norms and ignored basic facilities, which led to rainwater flooding both inside and outside campuses. Flooding during the monsoon, he added, not only creates health risks for staff and students but also disrupts classes.
Sood further alleged that inaction by the AAP party, despite complaints by their party MLAs, deteriorated the condition of these schools. “In the last 10 years, AAP did nothing substantial for the maintenance and management of schools in Delhi,” he added.