Over 14,000 students affected by waterlogging in Nithari schools since 2020, says Ashish Sood

NEW DELHI: Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for waterlogging in six government schools in Nithari, alleging that more than 14,000 students have been affected due to this since 2020. Responding to a social media post by former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on the condition of Delhi, Sood alleged that the former government failed to address the issue despite repeated complaints.

"These schools have been facing waterlogging for the past five years. Whenever it rains, classes are disrupted and students have to be sent home. This has been happening since 2020, during the tenure of the previous government," Sood said. According to him, an inspection revealed that the area earlier had a pond, which allowed rainwater to drain naturally.

He alleged the pond was concretised during the previous government's tenure, leading to recurring flooding in the school premises. Sood further claimed the work was carried out under pressure from the "land mafia" and said the government is probing whether it was funded through MLA funds. He said the Public Works Department has been asked to conduct an immediate investigation and necessary repair work is being undertaken to prevent accidents.

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Asset mapping for all schools

Sood also announced that the Delhi government will carry out asset mapping of all schools, including basic facilities, to identify and address shortcomings. "The claims of an 'education revolution' and development made by the previous government are being exposed," he said. Sharing a video of a tree fallen on a man, Kejriwal said in his post on X, "In just a few months, what a mess the BJP folks have made of Delhi."

A report from the Directorate of Education mentioned, "For the past several years, since 2020, all six government schools located in the Nithari Village in Delhi, have been facing persistent problems of water logging during the rainy season. The issue has become more severe this year due to multiple compounding factors." It further stated that the ground level of the school buildings is lower than the surrounding road level, resulting in easy accumulation of rainwater inside and around the school premises. There is no permanent or effective drainage solution to discharge the accumulated water, it added.