Delhi govt orders to inspect all abandoned borewells after man's death

Water Minister Atishi on Sunday visited the Delhi Jal Board water treatment plant in Keshopur where a man fell into a 40-foot-deep borewell and said that action would be taken against the official who was responsible for this sewage treatment plant.

The body of a man who fell into a 40-foot-deep borewell at a Delhi Jal Board sewage treatment plant here was pulled out after a nearly 14-hour-long operation on Sunday, the police said.

The man is yet to be identified. Sources said the borewell was in a locked room and was abandoned.

The minister was briefed about the rescue operation by the teams deployed at the spot.

"I have ordered all borewells in Delhi to be inspected in the next 48 hours and action will be taken against the official who was responsible for this STP (sewage treatment plant)," Atishi told PTI.

She said that the borewell surrounding was completely locked when the rescue teams arrived and added that the police are looking into the matter.

"The surrounding of the borewell where the person fell was completely locked. Those carrying out the rescue operations had broken the locks and entered. It wasn't a child who fell inside, it's an adult man. The police are looking into the matter now. It is not possible or even allowed for anyone to enter the area. However, the police are investigating it," she said.

The minister also sought a compliance report within 48 hours.

"A deeply unfortunate incident has taken place in Delhi today where someone has fallen into an abandoned borewell in the Keshopur STP. While this borewell was on land that had been handed over to the Delhi Metro in 2020, nonetheless it is our responsibility to examine if any lapses have taken place on the part of the DJB and to ensure that no such incident takes place in the future," the letter to the chief secretary read.

The minister has also directed the chief secretary to conduct a time-bound enquiry into the incident and take strong and exemplary action against any officers found responsible.

The chief secretary has also been directed to ensure that all government and private abandoned borewells are welded and sealed immediately.

Responding to Atishi's statement, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said that it did not build the borewell nor make any use of it.

“The pump room inside which this borewell was located belongs to the Delhi Jal Board. The borewell was already installed inside that pump room when the DMRC took over the area around it for construction work,” the DMRC said in a statement.

The DMRC said that its engineers are present at the site and ready to extend all necessary cooperation as a humanitarian gesture.

“Today, an unfortunate incident has been reported where a person has fallen in a borewell at Keshopur near a Delhi Metro construction site. As a humanitarian gesture, the DMRC engineers are present at the site and are ready to extend all necessary cooperation. In fact, the DMRC has already constructed an alternative road and guard rooms for Delhi Jal Board in that vicinity in the last few months,” the DMRC said.

The man's body was pulled out after a 14-hour-long operation on Sunday, the police said.

The man, aged around 25 to 35, is yet to be identified.

Deputy commissioner of police (West) Vichitra Veer said, "A PCR call was received at Vikaspuri police station at night informing that a person had fallen into the borewell at the Keshopur (Delhi) Jal Board office."

Information about the man falling into the borewell at the Delhi Jal Board plant in west Delhi's Keshopur Mandi area was received around 1 am. The rescue efforts were led by teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the Delhi Fire Services. 

As part of the rescue operation, the NDRF had dug another well parallel to the borewell into which the man had fallen.

A senior police officer said the person was brought out from the borewell dead. "It appears that he was aged between 25 and 35 years. Efforts are being made to identify him," he said.

According to government officials, the borewell was inside a locked room. "So whoever entered the borewell room would have done so by breaking the lock and the door," an official said.

Officials said there was a possibility of foul play since it is not easy for an adult to fall in a borewell of 12-inch diameter. "So the victim might have been pushed in," an official said.

However, the police have not said anything about foul play in the incident.

In a post on X, Atishi shared the news about the death of the man.

"How he entered the borewell room, how he fell inside the borewell this will be investigated by the police. I thank the NDRF team who made every possible effort in the rescue operation for many hours," she said in the post.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shared the news of the man's death in a post on X and thanked the NDRF for its rescue operation.

"Got the sad news that the man who fell into the borewell was found dead. May his soul rest in peace. I would like to thank NDRF whose team made every possible effort during the 14-hour-long operation. The NDRF has supported the people of Delhi in all difficult times," he said on X.