Drowning in Delhi’s governance holes

In any other metropolis, a string of drowning deaths due to shoddy municipal infrastructure would have, at least, prompted local authorities to fix the lacunae and make amends, even if belatedly. The torrential showers that have lashed Delhi this monsoon have, however, hinted that its governance muddle is so deep that not even bare minimum institutional empathy can be expected. Despite the outrage over the drowning of three civil service aspirants last month, more people have continued to perish in the Capital as even short bursts of rain have inundated streets and left hapless pedestrians marooned. Over the weekend, two more people — a 13-year-old and a seven-year-old — died due to electrocution and drowning, respectively, with no consequences for the political and civic authorities. The total number of people who have been killed this monsoon in Delhi now stands at 33.

This is an unconscionable toll. The science is now clear — the climate crisis is seeding unpredictable patterns into the monsoon, making short but very heavy bursts of rainfall the new normal. This needs sound planning and not after-the-fact mitigation measures. Inexplicably, the civic and government officials have refused to budge, using only temporary measures to paper over what is now a systemic breakdown of governance in the city. The culprit here is an unwieldy structure that has been paralysed by rival centres of power and politicians more interested in one upmanship than governance. But this mess is not just a mundane matter anymore, it is exacting a tragic cost. Worse still, there seems to be no accountability for either officials or politicians. There cannot be any further delay in resolving this mess. Authority and accountability must be vested, temporarily and through a court direction if needed, in a single node for everyday governance. Anything else will further endanger Delhi’s citizens.

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