By IANS,
New Delhi : The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Friday suggested a ban on basements in buildings near the Yamuna river as experts suspect water accumulation in the basement caused the house collapse in east Delhi that claimed 69 lives.
“The houses near or along the Yamuna should not have basements as the flood water accumulation makes them vulnerable. We are waiting for the probe report on the Lalita Park incident. We may decide on moving for banning basements in such areas after that,” said Yogender Chadolia, chairman of the municipal corporation’s standing committee.
The Nov 15 house collapse in congested Lalita Park of Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi claimed 69 lives, and left 82 injured and many homeless.
Flood water of the river had seeped underground and accumulated in the building’s basement for over two months. This has been cited as one of the reasons that caused the building to collapse.
After the collapse, the civic body announced it would conduct a survey to identify unsafe buildings in the city.