Rain Woes: Jamia admin’s indifference to waterlogged campus

A yearly occurrence all over the Jamia campus is the severe waterlogging during the monsoon months of July-September. Even moderate showers of rain can cause accumulation of dirty water all over the campus, showcasing the poor infrastructural planning. Roads are inundated with pools of water, making it hazardous for students to navigate through the campus. Heavy spells of rain, like the one in the weekend recently, result in roads being submerged under a foot of water. The Jamia Review went to several hotspots of waterlogging to understand the problem and talk to students regarding their daily struggles. 

Students across various departments face significant commuting challenges due to persistent waterlogging on the campus. Multiple areas, including the hostel entrances, especially the BHM Girls Hostel, the Law Faculty, and the MMAJ department, suffer from severe waterlogging even after light rain. This forces students to navigate through flooded paths, leading to delays, class cancellations, and reprimands for tardiness. The lack of effective drainage systems exacerbates the problem and demands for immediate infrastructure improvements.

Just a walk’s distance away from BHM Girls Hostel are the J&K Girls Hostel, Jamia’s reputed  Residential Coaching Academy (RCA), and the International Boys Hostel. Even with a little bit of rainfall, the road towards these buildings overflows with water and the residents have to jump over puddles of water, usually with the help of pieces of bricks laid by passers by and hostel guards. TJR talked to some of the students residing in the Girls Hostel, who faced daily problems because of this issue. Apart from their clothes and shoes getting dirty in these puddles and mud, they also have to skip classes sometimes because it gets difficult to walk through the flooded road towards the main part of the campus. 

“It feels like we are living in the 90s, and we have to cross literal rivers of waters, as our parents used to tell us about”, a Bachelor’s student from J&K Girls Hostel tells TJR. “The covers of some manholes are damaged, and in case of too much rain, the sewage water overflows, and we have to walk through that water,” she added. 

Ongoing construction near the BHM girl’s hostel creates mud and debris, making pathways slippery and dangerous, especially when it rains torrentially. The stagnant water creates algae which further increases the risk of slips and falls.

Finding their way across bricks placed over water puddles, students at the main campus block, gate no. 7, also face numerous challenges due to the rain showers and subsequent “pond-ing” of the campus. Students have highlighted the issue of reduced accessibility to classes and constant exposure to wet and unsanitary conditions posing safety hazards for students, further giving rise to water-borne diseases.

Khushi, a Hindi major student, explained how their classes get cancelled at the last moment. “hum baithe rehte hain class me, kapde aadhe giley aur message aata hai ki class cancel!” (we keep sitting in classes rain soaked and the message comes that the class has been cancelled). Classes also get cancelled when professors face difficulty crossing the huge pits of water. “I had to go back home due to the waterlogging problem and missed my class so that definitely disrupted my schedule.”said a second-year sociology undergraduate student.

The water remains there for a considerable time and students get rashes. Skin irritation from coming in contact with that water and also have dangers of falling ill. Taliya, a B.A Programme student experiences foot swelling and discomfort due to her shoes getting wet, which is common among students who have to commute through waterlogged areas. 

Maryam and Tanzeeha, students from the architectural faculty, shared their difficulties in commuting to their classes due to severe waterlogging at Gate No. 5. To avoid the flooded entrance, they are forced to take longer routes and use different gates, significantly extending their travel time.

Students expressed concerns about poor campus maintenance and inadequate responses to the flooding problem. Low-lying roads worsen the water logging issue, requiring levelling and repairs to prevent frequent flooding.

“I don’t think there is a proper drainage system, Sarkari college hai yaha khayal nahi rakha jaa raha hai in sab cheezon ki! ” (it’s a government college, these things are not taken care of).

Flaws in design are often major reasons for waterlogging because the roads are not built with a small slope downwards towards the drain. This means that water gets accumulated on the road and takes longer to drain. This muddy water, the longer it stays, makes the road layers weaker and creates potholes and depressions. This further acts as a spot for more waterlogging. 

Some students blame the very foundation which is old and leads to lower elevation and say “I don’t even know how much they can do if the foundation is at fault”. – a second-year psychology undergraduate student.

Paved and slightly elevated pathways can help direct water away from common routes, providing safe and dry access between buildings, even during heavy rainfall. “Kuch roads hai low line me, jinhe level me lana hoga, joh theek karwana hoga!” said Maryam. (There are a lot of low-lying roads which have to be brought to level and repaired).

They also said there should be implementation of drainage solutions near the front gate of the BHM hostel and along major pathways to prevent water accumulation. Even if the roads are sloped and paved, some drains in Jamia are clogged with dirt, mud, leaves and garbage. Regular maintenance and cleaning of drains are crucial to ensure their effectiveness during the rainy season on campus.

Some blame inaction on the part of the authorities. “If a chief minister or big personality was coming it would all be fixed overnight”- a second-year psychology undergraduate student. Students from MMAJ international studies stated that “ the only ones who are lacking here are those people who are in charge of maintenance. Why do we have to suffer? It’s a central university, shouldn’t it look like one?”

Aaminah, an architecture student said “Delhi or Drainage me D sirf Delhi me hai, drainage me toh hai hi nahi! Jamia hai bhi toh itna Purana, everything needs renovation and redevelopment.”

The vehicles that are allowed within campus are another issue during monsoon; they are mostly the staff vehicles that, according to students, go around spraying water on students. “The cars here are too good, they are always spraying water on us.’- said another student. 

Residents suggested that the administration repair the entire drainage system because this is a problem that is persistent everywhere on the campus. Another student from the hostel suggested that they concretize and level the road leading to the hostel. The water stinks and a brick bridge is made and broken down every day that is the only way to commute. Cleaning drains regularly and allotting staff near such areas for better management and timely inspections of the drainage are some of the ways suggested by the students. 

The administration should establish a routine monitoring and maintenance system to promptly identify and address waterlogged areas. Students also said there should be a feedback mechanism created as a system for students to report hazardous conditions and waterlogging issues. Timely responses to these reports will help the administration address problems quickly and improve campus safety.

More pictures from around the campus:

Report By : Gunjit Verma, Mukaram Shakeel, Nausheen Ali, Sana Faiz and Sania Parween for TJR.