Dalelgarh village in Greater Noida is grappling with grief and anger after two toddlers died in separate drowning incidents within a span of just two weeks, exposing serious safety gaps in the area’s infrastructure.
On Saturday, a three-year-old boy drowned in a six-foot-deep flooded field located off the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. According to villagers, the child was playing near the waterlogged patch when he accidentally slipped and fell into the stagnant water. Despite frantic efforts by family members and locals to rescue him, he could not be saved.
Shockingly, this tragedy came barely two weeks after another heartbreaking incident in the same village. On February 1, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl died after falling into an open drain situated barely 10 metres from her home.
Open Drain Running Through Residential Area
An uncovered drain, reportedly filled with garbage and stagnant water, runs through large portions of Dalelgarh, passing in front of several single-storey houses. Residents say the drain has long been a safety hazard, particularly for young children who often play in narrow village lanes.
Following the death of the toddler girl earlier this month, villagers claim they submitted a written complaint to the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA), urging immediate action to cover the drain and improve safety measures. However, residents allege that no corrective steps were taken.
“After the first incident, we warned authorities that something worse could happen if safety measures were not put in place. Now another family has lost their child,” a villager said.
Questions Over Waterlogging and Safety Measures
The second incident has also raised concerns about unmanaged waterlogging in agricultural and open plots within residential proximity. Locals said the flooded field where the boy drowned had been filled with rainwater and runoff, creating a deep and dangerous water body without fencing or warning signs.
Residents argue that proper drainage systems, boundary walls, or protective barriers could have prevented both tragedies.
Calls for Immediate Intervention
The back-to-back deaths have intensified demands for urgent civic intervention. Villagers are calling for:
●Immediate covering or barricading of open drains
●Proper desilting and garbage clearance
●Fencing of waterlogged plots and flooded fields
●Regular monitoring by local authorities
As Dalelgarh mourns two young lives lost in preventable circumstances, residents say accountability and swift infrastructure correction are the only way to ensure such tragedies are not repeated.
