Why Buildings Keep Collapsing in India and Why the Same Failures Keep Returning

Every time a building collapses in India, the response follows a familiar script.

Rescue teams race against time to pull survivors from the rubble. Compensation is announced for grieving families. Officials promise strict action. A criminal case is registered, inquiries begin, and for a few days the tragedy dominates headlines.

Then public attention moves on.

Until the next collapse.

The disturbing reality is that these incidents are rarely random. Across cities as different as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, official investigations have repeatedly uncovered many of the same underlying failures: illegal construction, weak oversight, poor compliance with structural norms, ageing buildings left without maintenance, and authorities that often fail to act until disaster strikes.

India is not short of building regulations. What it struggles with is enforcing them consistently.

A familiar pattern

Recent incidents illustrate how similar failures continue to emerge across the country.

In Delhi's Saidulajab area, a four-storey building collapsed while additional floors were reportedly under construction, killing six people. The inquiry ordered by the Delhi High Court concluded that the collapse was preventable. According to the report, municipal officials failed to stop unauthorised construction despite earlier opportunities, while inspection records were allegedly manipulated after the incident to conceal lapses.

Only weeks later, an under-construction warehouse in Kolkata's Taratala industrial area collapsed during concrete casting, killing several workers and injuring many others. The National Human Rights Commission later took suo motu cognisance of the incident after reports suggested possible deficiencies in the sanctioned building plan.

In Maharashtra, a residential building in Bhiwandi partially collapsed, once again raising questions about ageing structures and the absence of regular structural audits.

These are only the latest examples.

The collapse of an unauthorised building in Delhi's Mustafabad in 2025 claimed eleven lives. In Bengaluru, an under-construction seven-storey building collapsed during heavy rain in 2024, killing workers and prompting scrutiny of construction practices and site supervision.

Each incident has its own circumstances. Yet when inquiry reports are examined together, the similarities become difficult to ignore.

Failure No. 1: Buildings grow beyond their approved design

Perhaps the most common feature of collapse investigations is unauthorised construction.

Buildings approved for four floors become six.

Terraces are converted into apartments.

Columns originally designed to support one level of loading are expected to carry significantly more weight.

Structural engineering is based on precise calculations. Every beam, slab and column is designed to carry a defined load. Once additional floors are added without redesigning the structural system, those calculations no longer hold.

Sometimes the warning signs appear years before collapse. Cracks spread across walls. Doors stop closing properly. Water seepage accelerates corrosion inside reinforced concrete. Floors begin to sag.

Too often, these warning signs are ignored.

The Saidulajab inquiry found that additional construction continued despite repeated opportunities for intervention. Rather than being a sudden failure, investigators suggested it was the culmination of risks that had accumulated over time.

Failure No. 2: Authorities often know more than the public realises

One of the most troubling findings in several inquiries is not simply that illegal construction occurred, but that civic agencies had opportunities to stop it.

In the Delhi case, police had reportedly alerted municipal authorities about unauthorised construction months before the collapse. Despite those warnings, work continued.

This does not mean every collapse follows the same sequence of events. But multiple investigations over the years have highlighted gaps in inspections, delayed enforcement and failures to act on complaints.

India's cities already have building bye-laws, structural certification requirements and approval processes. On paper, the framework exists.

The challenge lies in ensuring that inspections are timely, independent and difficult to circumvent.

Failure No. 3: Construction quality cannot be sacrificed for speed

India is urbanising at an extraordinary pace. Residential towers, warehouses, commercial complexes and infrastructure projects are transforming city skylines.

With that growth comes pressure.

Projects face tight deadlines. Material costs fluctuate. Labour shortages affect schedules. Delays increase financing costs.

None of these realities change one fundamental principle: buildings must be constructed according to approved engineering designs.

Improper concrete curing, deviations from structural drawings, poor supervision or inadequate quality control may not produce immediate failure, but they can reduce the long-term resilience of a structure.

Not every collapse is caused by poor workmanship. However, construction quality remains one of the first areas examined whenever a structural failure occurs.

Failure No. 4: Ageing buildings receive too little attention

New buildings are not the only concern.

Across Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and older parts of Delhi, thousands of ageing residential buildings continue to house families decades after they were built.

Concrete deteriorates.

Steel reinforcement corrodes.

Water infiltration weakens structural elements.

Repeated alterations further reduce stability.

Many municipal bodies require periodic structural audits for older buildings, but implementation varies significantly between cities. In some cases, repairs are delayed because residents cannot agree on redevelopment. In others, owners lack the financial resources to undertake major strengthening work.

By the time visible signs of distress become obvious, repairs are often more complicated and expensive.

Failure No. 5: Accountability is spread across too many agencies

Construction in India involves multiple stakeholders.

Developers.

Structural engineers.

Architects.

Contractors.

Municipal corporations.

Planning authorities.

Fire departments.

Labour departments.

Each has defined responsibilities. Yet after a collapse, accountability often becomes fragmented.

Investigations typically reveal failures at several stages rather than one isolated mistake. This makes enforcement difficult because responsibility is distributed across multiple organisations instead of resting with a single decision-maker.

A less visible risk beneath India's cities

Structural safety is influenced not only by what is built above ground but also by what happens beneath it.

A recent study published in Nature Sustainability found that land subsidence is affecting parts of several Indian megacities. As groundwater extraction and urbanisation continue, gradual sinking of the ground could increase risks for buildings and infrastructure over the coming decades if not monitored carefully.

Land subsidence is not responsible for most building collapses reported in India today. Nevertheless, it highlights the importance of long-term urban planning, geotechnical investigations and continuous monitoring alongside traditional structural engineering.

What would actually reduce building collapses?

India does not need to start from scratch. Many of the necessary reforms are already well understood.

The first priority is stronger enforcement.

Digital approval systems should make every sanctioned drawing, structural certificate and inspection report publicly traceable. Records that cannot easily be altered after an incident would improve transparency and accountability.

Second, independent structural audits should become routine for ageing buildings, high-rise structures and projects undergoing major alterations. These audits should be carried out by qualified professionals who are independent of the developer.

Third, authorities need to intervene before illegal additions become occupied. Demolishing unauthorised floors after families have moved in is politically difficult and socially disruptive. Preventing them from being built is both safer and more practical.

Fourth, responsibility must extend across the construction chain. Developers, structural consultants, supervising engineers and approving authorities all play a role in ensuring that buildings comply with approved designs.

Finally, homebuyers deserve greater transparency. Easy public access to approved plans, occupancy certificates, structural audit reports and enforcement records would help buyers make informed decisions while creating stronger incentives for compliance.

The real lesson

Every collapse prompts renewed calls for stricter action.

Yet inquiry after inquiry shows that India's problem is rarely the absence of rules. More often, it is the failure to enforce those rules consistently before tragedy strikes.

Illegal additions are tolerated.

Complaints are not always acted upon.

Inspections are sometimes delayed or inadequate.

Ageing buildings remain occupied despite visible signs of deterioration.

None of these failures are inevitable.

India's cities will continue to grow rapidly in the coming decades, and that growth is essential. But if construction expands faster than oversight, building collapses will remain a recurring feature of urban life rather than rare exceptions.

The next collapse should not simply trigger another round of outrage. It should prompt a sustained commitment to enforcing the standards that already exist—because in many cases, these tragedies are preventable long before concrete begins to fall.

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Sources

1. National Human Rights Commission – Under-construction warehouse collapse, Kolkata: https://nhrc.nic.in/media/press-release/nhrc%2C-india-takes-suo-motu-cognizance-of-the-reported-death-of-at-least-five-labourers-and-injuries-to-twenty-others-in-an-under-construction-building-collapse-in-kolkata%2C-west-bengal

2. Press Information Bureau – NHRC press release: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2280285

3. Hindustan Times – Inquiry into Delhi's Saidulajab building collapse: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/fabricated-inspection-records-to-mislead-investigators-south-delhi-saidulajab-building-collapse-report-flags-mcd-lapses-101785200227117.html

4. The Indian Express – Supreme Court proceedings on illegal construction in Delhi: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-building-collapse-sc-criticises-mcd-for-failing-to-act-against-illegal-construction-10730714/

5. The Indian Express – Mustafabad building collapse: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-building-collapse-mcd-to-survey-area-identify-buildings-with-structural-flaws-9954156/

6. Times of India – Bhiwandi residential building collapse: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/4-storey-building-partially-collapses-near-mumbai-several-feared-trapped/articleshow/132753223.cms

7. Nature Sustainability – Building damage risk in sinking Indian megacities: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01663-0