In North Delhi, funeral ceremonies face wrath of monsoon showers

With the onset of monsoon, residents of Delhi near Yamuna Bazar always have to bear the brunt of the vagaries of the weather.

The rise in water level in this north Delhi locality, near Kashmere Gate, not only sends water gushing into the houses and shops of lively Delhiites, it also does not spare the dead.

Rising water levels has resulted in many bodies due for funerals being cremated in haste, as rains often disrupt funerals near Nighambodh Ghat.

Merciless rains do not allow for a respectful funeral during the monsoon. Crematorium workers at Nigambodh Ghat told Millennium Post that earlier, ambulances used to reach their crematoriums with the body and the last minute rituals would be conducted with the family.

However, due to heavy rains, all the rituals have to be completed in a rush.

"The roads are water-logged and ambulances cannot reach the crematorium easily. There is no space for the bodies. Around 30-40 families visit us for funeral purposes and we are unable to perform proper rituals," said Pawan Kumar, who sells goods used for funeral purposes.

Bunty Mehruliya, who lives in Priyadarshi Colony, has set up his shop next to Nighambodh Ghat.

Each monsoon, he must bear extra expenses of up Rs 10,000, as it takes six to seven hours to drain the water from his shop.

"I had also sent a video of the situation, how water pours into my shop during the monsoon days and sent it to the concerned authorities. Even though one member of the authority came to check, no action has been taken so far," said Bunty.

A resident of Yamuna Bazar, Madhu Sharma, says: "For the last 15 years, I have been witnessing this problem every monsoon season. Water comes up to our knees and enters our house. It takes hours and, sometimes, even days to drain out the water."

When asked if they lodged any complaints, he said: "So many complaints have already been given, but no action has been taken. There has been no response from the authorities. Now, we don't expect anything from them and somehow manage it on our own."