Why in news
Lives of three UPSC aspirants were cut short as the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar was flooded
The incident sparked outrage across the country, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trading charges
The dangers
Basements in buildings have limited access and often limited ventilation.
Getting in and out can be a challenge and being trapped is a real possibility as the water will find its way there first
Habitation or not
Rules do not permit basements in buildings across the country to have habitation
while allowing storage, parking and utilities such as electric equipment and generators
Habitation would include offices and residents.
A classroom or a study centre may well be considered habitation,
which could mean classes or long hours of study should not be allowed in the basement.
Income generation
As land value and building value become increasingly expensive, it would be inevitable for buildings to be used for purposes other than mandated.
In such mixed-use buildings, basements are also seen as income generators
Clearance
Delhi Master Plan 2021 says : use of a basement in coaching centres shall be subject to clearance from fire authorities and other statutory bodies as per the relevant laws
Questions need to be asked whether a renewal of permits was done after inspections
Users prefer not to notify the authorities since it causes hurdles and invites bribe demands.
Problem with cities
Big cities getting flooded has become routine
Flooding is as much due to natural topography as changes in land use and haphazard constructions
Solvable
Flood-resilience by ensuring that no water enters inside up to the one metre to 1.5 m level on the road.
Concrete, non-porous compound walls, flood-barrier gates and non-return valves on plumbing lines can help achieve this resilience
Special pumping arrangements would be required to mitigate flooding
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