A student PG building collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan due to waterlogged basement and ongoing repairs. Before building collapse (L) , After (R) NEW DELHI: A waterlogged basement, repair work on an ageing structure and possible structural weaknesses are emerging as key factors behind the deadly collapse of a student PG building in Delhi's Satya Niketan.
As cops piece together what caused the decades-old structure to come down, eyewitness accounts and preliminary official findings have pointed to a potentially dangerous combination of accumulated water, ongoing construction activity and floors added over the years. Chief minister Rekha Gupta said the building was a very old structure.
The ongoing repair work, combined with the accumulated water, led to the collapse, she said after inspecting the site. Police, meanwhile, said renovation work was allegedly being carried out on the ground floor and in the basement before the building collapsed.
An FIR has been registered against the alleged owner and others, while investigators examine who was responsible and whether the repair work compromised the structure. Amid Screams Of Help, Locals & Students Form Human Chain In Early Rescue At Satya NiketanThe building, which was more than four decades old, was being used as a paying guest accommodation for students.
MCD officials are also examining whether recent heavy rain and seepage weakened the structure. The civic body has said it is still too early to establish the exact cause, with investigators looking into the possible role of water seepage, basement or ground-floor work, and the building's structural condition.
Eyewitness accounts from the site have added another layer to the questions surrounding the collapse. “The building had no pillars.
In the Satya Niketan area, many houses do not have pillars. These are old buildings, constructed when Satya Niketan was first developed, and floors have since been added to these structures.
In the building that collapsed, some work was on in the basement. Water had accumulated there,” the resident said.
Former Delhi Fire Services director Atul Garg also pointed to two major factors that can commonly trigger the collapse of an old building — heavy rain and construction activity. According to him, both factors were present in the Satya Niketan case, making the structure particularly vulnerable.
