Rain unravels city’s infra claims

Once again, it didn’t take a deluge — just a few hours of scattered showers on Friday — for Delhi's fragile infrastructure to unravel.

- Snehil Sinha

Roads caved in, cars sputtered to a halt in waist-deep water, potholes swallowed cars, and endless traffic jams turned office commutes into hours-long trials of patience. It was a scene the city has come to expect every monsoon, where even “moderate” rain is enough to topple civic promises.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Safdarjung recorded 56.2mm of rain between 8.30am and 11.30am, 7.2mm between 1L30am and 2.30pm, and 0.3mm. in the next three hours.

The most dramatic visuals came from Patparganj, where residents were seen wading through waist-deep water under a flyover.

“Waterlogging here has been aproblem for decades. Desilting drains is not enough. The entire drainage system of East Delhi needs an overhaul,” said BS Vohra, president of East Delhi RWAs joint front.