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Sharma Enclave in Mubarakpur Dabas, Kirari Assembly constituency of North-West Delhi has remained waterlogged with sewage for at least eight months, forcing residents to live amid stench, illness and displacement, sharply contrasting claims of India being the world’s fourth largest economy.
The crisis did not arise due to rain but because sewage water from nearby colonies flowing into the low-lying Sharma Enclave, while adjoining Delhi Development Authority land has been used as a dumpyard, worsening persistent waterlogging and unhygienic living conditions.
Authorities responded by dumping malba and installing generator pumps to remove sewage, but without a viable drainage exit, the pumped waste accumulated in nearby areas, creating a sewage pond instead of resolving the core issue.
Sewage water all around, the whole area reeking of stench, people falling ill due to unhygienic conditions, and residents forced to leave their own homes- these are the pathetic conditions people are facing in one of the villages of the National Capital. This is the situation of a small and neglected urban village - Sharma Enclave, Mubarakpur Dabas in the Kirari Assembly constituency of North-West Delhi. It is not a sudden crisis, but has been this way for at least eight months. The residents of Sharma Enclave are forced to live in what they describe as hell.
NewsGram conducted a ground coverage of the area, and found severe anguishes the residents have faced with the immense troubles, caused by waterlogging (sewage waste) in the area.
The whole locality was waterlogged with sewage water, at least knee deep, just a couple days ago. Residents had to wear gumboots to go outside, which many wear even now. These pathetic conditions did not arise due to rain, but due to the sewage water coming from other areas to the Sharma Enclave colony. The colony itself is at a lower level than the other nearby colonies, and the sewage waste coming from those areas found their way into this unfortunate colony.
The area nearby belongs to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). DDA used the land as a dumpyard for keeping waste. Anil Jha from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of the area, and Yogendra Chandoliya the MP (Member of Parliament) from BJP, of North-West Delhi.
Jai Kumar, 28, a resident of the area said that while people claim the problem to be 8-10 months ago, the crisis dates back to no less than a year ago. “One of the main problems is the sewage (waste) outlet in the region. Since there is no proper outlet, dirty water finds its way into the society, which lies at a low level. We have been complaining about the situation to the local MLA, the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) authorities, but no one is giving a heed to our problems”, added Kumar.
Kumar also said that the DDA started dumping the Bhalswa landfill in their area, where the sewerage water was being released earlier. This caused the sewage waste force back its way in the society, he added. Residents of the area also said that they have been complaining about the issue for at least eight months, but were slapped with bureaucratic red-tapism instead.
The people clearly seemed agitated, and faced with the burden of living daily in this hell-hole. The struggles of the people start from waking up, which continues all day long till they go to sleep at night. Umesh, a senior resident of the area, said that more recently, media coverage forced the authorities to visit the area, and conduct their inspections. “Ministers visited the area, but no significant improvement has been done. Even after dumping garbage malba and pumping out sewage water, the core problem of directing sewage waste to a proper outlet still remains.”, added Umesh.
Devender Yadav, Delhi Congress Chief visited the area on January 21, 2026. MLA Anil Jha, and MP Yogendra Chandoliya visited the region on January 23, 2026. However, their visit turned into an ugly spat, when they both started accusing each other for administrative neglect. The residents, however, continue to be the ones who have to live with the failure of administration and governance.
DDA started putting malba (dry garbage waste) on the area to cover the waterlogging, and the authorities have installed generator water pumps to pump out the sewage water. However, residents say that even that does not seem like a tangible solution, as the water pumped out has no feasible exit way, rather it is stored in the nearby water patch, which has made it a sewage pond.
The dirty water not only filled the lanes of the region, but also went inside several homes of people. As a result, many residents have locked their homes and vacated the area. They have started living nearby in rented homes. The sewage water, and the garbage malba put by the DDA has made the atmosphere unbreathable.
Sudha Devi, another resident of the area says that she has small children, and they have not been able to go to schools because of the crisis. Walking in the lanes is difficult, there is also the danger of tripping and hurting oneself, and children have also fallen ill due to these inhumane and unhygienic conditions, she added.
“During the exams of the students, I dropped my kids to the school on my shoulders…. such are the troubles we have to face. Anil Jha, what has he done? The DDA now is dumping garbage malba on the lanes, is this the proper way to address the problems? We suffocate every day, the smell is so bad, my children suffocate. The dirty water that is lying in the lanes, is the sewer’s water- it is composed of human excretion material, we are compelled to walk in the lanes filled with these waters.”, added Sudha Devi.
Some residents also said that they had to pay themselves for putting malba (of bricks and stones) in their lanes by collecting money, so that at least their families could walk on the roads. However, not every resident has the luxury of paying contractors to put malba on their lanes. Indra Devi, a senior resident of the colony said that even after the water pumps, conditions have not been so good.
Indra Devi, visibly upset at such appalling conditions, added further: “What can we do? It has become our habit to live like this. Alive or dead, who cares? We purchased a home here and are paying its mortgage, but now we are forced to lock our home and live somewhere else. We have to pay rent there also. Sewage water has flooded our home, which has caused the walls to dampen, our floors to be consistently dirty, and made living unbearable.”
Many lanes in the Sharma Colony are still waterlogged with sewage water. The sewer lines in many localities of Delhi are at least 20-30 years old, and have not been repaired. Several leakages in the sewer pipelines have also caused water contamination of drinking water supply.
The residents also said that apart from the waterlogging crisis, air pollution, water contamination and land pollution is also there in the area. The wide field in front of the colony is spread of garbage malba put there by the DDA. The malba consists of all kinds of dry waste. A resident complained that these kinds of situations are what’s going to cause an epidemic in the future. “Is this the future we want to give to our children?, he added.
The problems are not only limited to the waterlogging issue, but the kaccha roads and potholes also pose a severe problem. Satya Narayan, a senior resident of the area, said that even if it rains for half an hour, the whole road becomes dirty. “Without the rain also, the road all the way from here to Mundka is filled with sewer water in between, making travel difficult. The roads are broken, potholes are there, it becomes tough for us to travel even 3 - 4 kms”, added Satya Narayan.
Rahul, a resident of Sharma Enclave, said that the authorities engaged in blame game when we addressed the problems to them. “When we complained to Anil Jha, he said that the government (Delhi NCT) is of the BJP, they don’t let us do the work here. Even before, Govind Rituraj Jha, the previous MLA (from AAP) didn’t solve our problems of water contamination and directing a proper outlet for sewage. Neither were the sewer lines fixed in the last 10 years.”, added Rahul.
Delhi Water Minister, Parvesh Verma, said on Thursday, January 22, 2206, that sewage lines will be laid within the next six months, and work will be done to eradicate the waterlogging within one and a half years. Addressing a press conference, he said that a 25 MGD (Millions Gallon per day) sewage treatment plant (MGD) was being constructed where the sewage waste from Sharma Enclave, and the Kirari constituency will be treated.
He also said that three pumping stations would be built in nearby Bhagya Vihar, Prem Nagar and Pratap Vihar, which will carry the sewage water to the STP. He mentioned two projects, one of about ₹220 crores to build a 4.5 km long trunk drain to divert the flow of rainwater, and another the completion of 7.2 km drain from Rithala to Kirari, which was started by the DDA in 2020 at the cost of ₹250 crores.
While the Delhi government blamed AAP for administrative neglect leading to the Kirari crisis, AAP hurled back at BJP saying that the recent dumping of Bhalswa landfill at the nearby Sharma Enclave area owned by DDA caused the problem, which was not there eight months ago.
What continues to unfold in Sharma Enclave is not merely a civic failure but a sustained betrayal of democratic responsibility. For months, residents have lived amid sewage, disease and displacement, while elected representatives and authorities trade blame instead of delivering solutions. The people of Sharma Enclave voted with the expectation of dignity, safety and basic services, yet they remain trapped in conditions unworthy of an urban capital. While our nation boasts of being the world’s fourth largest economy, many villages like the Sharma Enclave present a strikingly different environment.
Until accountability replaces political sparring, the cost of this failure will keep being paid by residents whose lives, health and livelihoods continue to be neglected.
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